AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A week after her arrest over remarks on the demolition of a 150-year-old mosque inside the Saharanpur Collectorate premises, journalist, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson and social activist Huda Zariwala struck a defiant note at a press conference at the Press Club of India here on Monday.
Zariwala, who was released on bail in the case related to her alleged “objectionable” comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said she stands by her critique of the Uttar Pradesh administration and takes full responsibility for her statements.
“I stand by every word I uttered criticising the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. I take full responsibility for my statements,” she told reporters.
Zariwala held up both the Qur’an and the Indian Constitution, a gesture she has repeated since her release.
“The Qur’an is our identity,” she said, adding that the Qur’an teaches respect for the Constitution, respect for the country and love for the nation.
Holding both texts aloft, she argued that her faith and the law of the land both mandate speaking out against injustice (zulm).
“According to my understanding of the Qur’an, protecting the country, not going against the nation and raising one’s voice against zulm(tyranny/injustice) is mandatory,” she said.
Questioning why raising a voice over the issue was considered wrong, she said her call was to “speak up against injustice, protect the country”.
She also alleged a personal grievance from custody, claiming that two Indian tricolour lapel pins she routinely wore were missing from the personal items returned to her upon release.
The mosque located within the District Collectorate compound was demolished on September 5 amid heavy police deployment. The structure was declared illegal after Bajrang Dal regional convener Vikas Tyagi approached the City Magistrate’s court last year, claiming it was an illegal construction. The City Magistrate later ordered its demolition. The mosque management committee challenged the order, but its appeal was rejected by the District Judge on September 2.
Zariwala, 34, reached the Saharanpur Circuit House on the evening of September 8 to protest the demolition but was stopped by police after a brief argument over entering the premises. She had wanted to accompany a Samajwadi Party delegation to the demolition site.
A video of her statements subsequently surfaced on social media. In the video, she is heard saying: “The mosque of Muslims has been martyred. This is a criminal act. Who gave them the right to demolish the mosque? The entire Muslim community stands against such people. We will not remain silent.”
Following the video, advocate Dushyant Singh filed a complaint at Sadar Bazar Police Station in Saharanpur on September 7, alleging that Zariwala had made provocative and objectionable remarks against a person holding a constitutional position and that her comments could disturb communal harmony.
An FIR was registered under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, with an additional provision of the Information Technology Act.
Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zariwala describes herself as a journalist, YouTuber and social worker. She started her career as a news anchor with Saudi TV Channel 2 and later worked with the BBC in London as well as a Noida-based channel between 2015 and 2021.
She was also associated with the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP as a spokesperson and campaigned for it in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
She had recently drawn attention for questioning Delhi Police over the alleged assault on two Muslim women journalists at Saket police station.
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