Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to facilitate “the immediate and unconditional release” of journalists Fahad Shah, Sajad Gul and Siddique Kappan “in the interest of preserving the freedom of press” in India. Raising the issue in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, Tharoor said that while Shah and Gul were arrested on charges of sedition and under the Public Safety Act respectively in Jammu and Kashmir, Kappan has been in “prolonged detention” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Uttar Pradesh. “Journalists deserve to be able to do their job safely without fear of arrest or harassment. The Supreme Court too has recognised the importance of dissent in a vibrant democracy stating that a free and independent press is a vital pillar of democracy, which supports an informed and democratically-engaged citizenry, and allows those in power to be held accountable more meaningfully,” Tharoor said. He said India has been named among the five most dangerous countries in the world for journalists at present. National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi also backed Tharoor's demand. Meanwhile, BSP MP Danish Ali sought the reopening of universities and referred particularly to Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. He also said the process to appoint a new vice-chancellor for AMU should be set in motion. Ali, the MP from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, said: “It has been two years since the educational institutions remained closed, and many schools and colleges have now been opened. The government is opening up everything, but these premier institutions (Jamia and AMU) are still closed,” he said. BJP MP Uday Pratap Singh said a law should be enacted to implement a two-child policy to control the rate of increase of population. “The country does not have the capacity to support 135 crore people. In the future, the population is projected to reach 160 crore, which will be a strain on national resources,” Singh said during Zero Hour. Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP from Godda in Jharkhand said the government should restrict access to reservation for those who convert from Hinduism to other religions. “Under Article 341 for Scheduled Castes, it is clearly mentioned that if they convert to any other religion, their status as SC will cease to exist,” he said. He also demanded that a similar provision be brought in under Article 342 meant for Scheduled Tribes to discourage them from converting.
