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Life in jail has made me stronger, says Sadaf
Social activist Sadaf Jafar said on Tuesday life in prison had made her stronger and that she would not sit at home if there was another protest in the city ‘tomorrow’.
Sadaf was released on Tuesday from Lucknow jail after 17 days of judicial custody in connection with anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Lucknow on December 19. She was the lone woman among over 200 people arrested.
The court had granted bail to her on Saturday. However, her release was delayed due to ‘formalities’.
Saying the fear of arrest and assault had now disappeared, Sadaf asserted she would continue to raise her voices against injustice and that the anti CAA protest would continue till the law was withdrawn.
“While earlier the mere thought of dealing with the police and jail scared me, this new experience has made me fearless. Now I have the firsthand experience of the inhumane face of the Lucknow police. The cops hit me with cane on my belly, legs and back,” said Sadaf, who will turn 45 on Wednesday.
“They used the choicest of abusive words, called me Pakistani and supporter of Pakistan because of my name. What else can scare me now? I will continue to fight against the CAA as it targets the Muslims,” said the mother of two.
Sadaf said, “I have all the quality that UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath hates. First, I’m a woman. Second, I speak English and third I’m brazenly against his kind of politics.”
Sadaf was all praise for Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who, she said, stood by her like a pillar of strength. “Priyankaji met my two children and was in touch with them. Today also she tweeted a photo when we were released from jail in the morning,” she said.
Sadaf said she was part of the peaceful protest at Parivartan Chowk on December 19. “I was doing Facebook Live and in the video I could be heard telling policemen to take action against those who resorted to violence. I was highlighting police inaction when hooligans resorted to vandalism during the protests,” she said.
“In the video clips, I can be heard telling cops to nab those pelting stones while I was being abused by the male cops and later a women cop caught my hand and took me in custody. Everything was caught on camera. I was arrested on December 19 from Parivartan Chowk. It was totally uncalled for and cowardly action of the police,” Sadaf said.
“None of us were informed or apparently allowed to talk to our family. My children were in panic,” she said.