New Delhi:
After more than a day at Delhi's Tihar jail, and intense humiliation, Nurul Huda, an Islamic scholar is now a free man. After the Home Ministry intervened, Huda, who was offloaded from an Emirates flight has had non-bailable charges against him dropped.
A fellow passenger on the flight felt Huda, who is bearded and was wearing a skull cap was a potential terrorist after he made, what she felt was a suspicious cell phone call.
"Nowadays it looks like people are very suspicious about someone having a beard and wearing a skull cap," said Nurul Huda, Islamic scholar, Deoband.
Sources have told NDTV the Home Ministry intervened and told the Delhi Police that Huda's arrest was totally wrong.
NDTV has learnt that after the Home Ministry's call the Delhi Police decided to drop the non-bailable charge against the Maulana.
Huda's family is now relieved, but scholars say the case brings the focus back on religious stereotyping.
"Communal feelings and stereotypes have gripped our psyche so much, that the visible look of a person which displays some sort of a religious identity, does a lot with a person's future and his luck. In fact, you can be arrested, you can be abused," said Rooprekha Verma, Former Vice-Chancellor, Lucknow University.
The incident has also triggered a sharp response from the CPM. In a statement the party said: The illegal detention and arrest of Maulana Nurul Huda is a reminder of the deep-rooted prejudice that exists in sections of the law enforcement agencies against Muslims.
The Delhi Police now seem to be on the back foot.
"I frankly don't see too much in this case. It could have been the case of some miscommunication," said YS Dadwal, Commissioner, Delhi Police.
A fellow passenger on the flight felt Huda, who is bearded and was wearing a skull cap was a potential terrorist after he made, what she felt was a suspicious cell phone call.
"Nowadays it looks like people are very suspicious about someone having a beard and wearing a skull cap," said Nurul Huda, Islamic scholar, Deoband.
Sources have told NDTV the Home Ministry intervened and told the Delhi Police that Huda's arrest was totally wrong.
NDTV has learnt that after the Home Ministry's call the Delhi Police decided to drop the non-bailable charge against the Maulana.
Huda's family is now relieved, but scholars say the case brings the focus back on religious stereotyping.
"Communal feelings and stereotypes have gripped our psyche so much, that the visible look of a person which displays some sort of a religious identity, does a lot with a person's future and his luck. In fact, you can be arrested, you can be abused," said Rooprekha Verma, Former Vice-Chancellor, Lucknow University.
The incident has also triggered a sharp response from the CPM. In a statement the party said: The illegal detention and arrest of Maulana Nurul Huda is a reminder of the deep-rooted prejudice that exists in sections of the law enforcement agencies against Muslims.
The Delhi Police now seem to be on the back foot.
"I frankly don't see too much in this case. It could have been the case of some miscommunication," said YS Dadwal, Commissioner, Delhi Police.
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