Zafarul to continue fight against hate politics

A day after sedition charges were registered against Zafarul Islam Khan for his social media post, the Delhi minority panel chief on Sunday said that he will continue to fight against the hate politics and he stands by his comments. He said he has not apologised for the statements he made but only for its timing.

In his statement, Mr Khan said: “I will continue, now and in future, the fight against the hate politics in the country. FIRs, arrests and imprisonments do not change this path which I have chosen consciously to save my country, my people and the Indian secular polity and the Constitution.”

Mr Khan said that he has not apologised for his social media post as reported in a section of the media. He said: “I stand by it. It has been erroneously reported in a section of media that I have apologised for the tweet and deleted it. I have not apologised for the tweet and have not deleted it. I have apologised not for the tweet itself but because it was ill-timed and insensitive in the midst of a medical emergency faced by our country.”

Mr Khan said: “The tweet is very much there on my Twitter handle and Facebook page. Moreover, I have said in my May 1 statement that I stand by my views and convictions.”

A day after the Ministry of External Affairs said that Kuwait does not support interference in India’s internal affairs, Mr Khan on April 28 shared a contrary and provocative post on social media. He asserted that Indian Muslims enjoy huge goodwill among Arab nations and warned the ‘Hindutva bigots’ of an ‘avalanche.’

Mr Khan’s comments came on the heels of increasing reports of social media activity in Kuwait against the alleged persecution of Muslims in India amid the coronavirus outbreak. Several people, including human rights activists, in Kuwait have taken to social media to express their ‘anger.’