TODDLER’S GRANDMOTHER WRITES TO PRIME MINISTER

VARANASI : Sheela Tiwari, grandmother of 18-monthold girl Champak, on Monday submitted a memorandum demanding the release of the social activist couple, Ravi Shekhar and Ekta Shekhar, at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public relation office in Varanasi’s Ravindrapuri area.

The couple is in jail since December 19 for participating in the protest against Citizenship Amendment Act. The memorandum, addressed to the Prime Minister, was received by Modi’s public relation office in-charge Shiv Sharan Pathak, who said the memorandum would be forwarded to the prime minister’s office. Tiwari said she has asked the Prime Minister to release Champak’s mother so that she could get mother’s milk.

“Champak is a breastfeeding baby. She is innocent. Her only crime is that she is the daughter of social activist parents who along with others participated in the protests against the CAA,” Tiwari said.

“My son Ravi and daughter-in-law Ekta are social activists. They work for the conservation of the environment. They have participated in hundreds of peaceful protests in the last one decade. But they never indulged in any violent activity,” she claimed.

While no violence was reported in Varanasi on December 19, 56 social activists, including Ravi and Ekta, were arrested for participating in the protest. A case was registered against them under section 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting) and various other sections of IPC.

She said the doctor had advised that Champak should get mother’s milk for saving her from allergy due to cold. “We cannot take her to the district jail for that,” she said in the letter.