Gujarat Police Invoke PASA Act Against Man Who Asked Muslims To ‘Wake Up, Pick Weapons’ During Azaan 

A man in Gujarat arrested in the first week of May for calling upon Muslims to "wake up and pick up weapons" during an azaan has been charged with Prevention of Anti-Social Activities (PASA) Act.

The PASA Act, enacted in 1985, is invoked against dreaded criminals and repeat offenders, and bail isn’t easy.

The act is to “provide for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order”, as per the Gujarat government’s website.

The state recently announced that those who attack police and health workers would be booked under PASA.

The man, Maamad Abdullah Luhar, was booked on 7 May by A-Division Bhuj Police. As per the statement in the FIR (number 1305/2020), Luhar gave ‘azaan’ from Masjid-E-Imam-Rabbani in Kodaki Road’s Bakali colony around 2 am on the intervening night of 6 and 7 May, where he called upon Muslims to wake up, pick up arms and come out from their homes.

Read Swarajya’s report here.

On 14 May, the local crime branch released a press note (attached below) titled “The person, who tried to disturb communal harmony in Kutch district, has been booked under PASA by local crime branch, West Kutch-Bhuj”.

The press note says that the local crime branch had prepared a proposal to book him under PASA under instructions and guidance of Inspector General Subhash Trivedi and Superintendent of Police Saurabh Tolambiya. They then sent the proposal to collector of Kutch-Bhuj who accepted it and issued warrant to arrest the accused under PASA.

“In accordance, today, LCB staff, under guidance of LCB West-Kutch PI MR Gondaliya and PSI AJ Rana, has executed the PASA warrant and arrested Maamad Abdullah Luhar, 32, resident of Sanjognagar, Bhuj; it has started preparation to send him to Lajpor Central Jail, Surat,” the note reads.