Lawyer-activist Mohammed Shoaib picked up by UP police

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday picked up senior lawyer and human rights activist Mohammed Shoaib of the legal aid group Rihai Manch, a letter from his wife to the police said.

Shoaib’s wife Malka Bi alleges that he was taken away in the morning by a dozen police personnel from residence without any reason. His wife said that the police declined to share the information about the action. There were six to seven officials in plain clothes and three in uniform. My husband has not done anything at all. I don’t know why he was taken away.”

Sharing the letter of Shoeb’s wife, newsweekly Outlook’s journalist Omar Rashid tweeted: “Senior human rights defender and lawyer Mohammad Shoaib picked up by 12 UP Police personnel from his residence without any reason, his wife has alleged. Shoaib is 75 years old and not in the best of health. He has been at the forefront of the civil society in Lucknow.”

Shoaib is the founder of an organisation named Rihai Manch, which offers legal assistance to marginalised communities. In December 2019, he was arrested in connection with protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He was granted bail on January 15, 2020.

A video of Shoaib being taken away from his house has also been shared by journalists on social media.