Siddiq Kapan is an Indian journalist and columnist. In 2020, he was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) when he went to Hathras to report the gang rape of a 19-year-old Dalit girl by four men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. In 2023, he was released after more than two years in prison.
Wiki/Biography
Siddique Kappan was born in 1980 in Kerala (42 years old; as of 2022). In 2013, he moved to Delhi.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 55kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He comes from a Muslim family in Malappuram, Kerala.
Parents and siblings
His mother Khadeeja Kutty passed away in June 2021 at the age of 90 due to age-related illnesses. He has a brother.
Siddiq Kapan’s mother
wife and children
His wife is Raihanat Kapan. The couple has three children; two sons named Muzammil Kappan and Zidhan Kappan, and a daughter Mehnaz Kappan.
Siddiq Kapan with his wife and eldest son Muzamil Kapan
Siddiq Kapan’s wife and children
Profession
reporter
In 2009, he started working as a reporter for Gulf Thejas Daily in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is a regular contributor to Azhimukham, an independent Malayalam news portal. He is known for reporting on crime, human rights, politics and government persecution of journalists. He is the Delhi branch secretary of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ). He has written articles for the Malayalam monthly magazine Prasadgan.
dispute
Arrested for reporting on 2020 Hathras gang rape
On October 5, 2020, Siddique Kappan traveled to Hathras in a car with Ateeq-ur-Rehman, Masood Ahmed and Alam to report on the 2020 Hathras quadruple murder case of gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl. News upper caste men. Their car was intercepted by the Uttar Pradesh police at a toll plaza in Mathura and he was arrested along with three others for “alleged breach of peace”. In the FIR filed against him, he was accused of violating Sections 124A, 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA, 1967) and the Information Technology Act (IT Act, 2000). He said in an interview that many people told him that he was arrested because he was a Muslim; however, he did not agree with this and according to him, his status as a journalist and the fact that he belonged to Kerala were the reasons why he was arrested Reason for arrest. He said,
I would not say that I was arrested because I am a Muslim. Everyone says this, but I disagree. I said I was arrested because I am a journalist and because I am from Kerala. I am a devout Muslim but I believe my status as a journalist from Kerala is being used against me. ”
Timeline of Siddiq Kapan case
On September 9, 2022, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail. The then Chief Justice of India UU Lalit ordered him to update the Delhi Police on his activities in Kerala for the next six weeks; however, on September 13, 2022, it was revealed that due to the Enforcement Directorate A money laundering case was filed against him and he will be sent to jail. He revealed in an interview that he was shocked to hear that he was accused of an irregular transaction money laundering case of only Rs 5,000, which he believed was completely unfounded because it was only when the proceeds reached Rs 1 crore. Legal proceedings will be taken. or more. He said,
I was accused of money laundering, which shocked me. Even the Allahabad High Court, while granting me bail, said that the charge of illegal transaction of Rs 5,000 was only against me. The ED has jurisdiction only if the proceeds amount to Rs 1 crore or more. I was framed and imprisoned on charges that were baseless and would not hold up in any court of law. ”
On December 23, 2022, the Allahabad High Court granted him bail in a case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). On February 2, 2023, he walked out of prison more than two years after his arrest.
After being released from Lucknow jail in February 2023, he said in an interview that he was still behind bars even after being granted bail in December 2022; however, he would continue to fight for justice. He said,
This is immature justice. Journalism is not a crime. I will continue to fight against tough laws. Even after I was released on bail, they kept me in jail… after a long battle of 28 months. I don’t know who will benefit from my imprisonment. Although these two years have been difficult, I have never been afraid. ”
salary
In an interview in 2021, while talking about his salary, he revealed that he used to receive a monthly salary of Rs 26,500 from Gulf Thejas Daily and Rs 25,000 from Azhimukham. He was once paid Rs 2000 for writing an article by Prasadgan.
Facts/Trivia
- Siddique Kappan is also known as Sidheeq Kappan and Sidhique Kappan.
- Mohamed Dhanish defended him in court after his arrest in the 2020 Hathras gang-rape case.
- In February 2021, Siddiq Kapan was granted five-day interim bail to visit his unwell mother.
- In April 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19; he was admitted to a hospital inside Mathura jail for treatment. Later, as his health deteriorated, he was shifted to KM Medical College in Mathura and after treatment, he tested negative for COVID-19. He later returned to Mathura jail.
- In 2021, he was transferred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi for further treatment. He later tested positive for COVID-19 again in May 2021.
- In July 2021, several international news organizations called for his release. In an interview, Scott Griffen, deputy director of the International Press Institute (IPI), condemned Siddique Kappan’s arrest and the “unacceptable mistreatment” of him. He said,
We are extremely concerned that Mr. Kappan was targeted and detained for his journalistic activities. As there is no evidence to justify the charges, all charges against Mr. Cappan must be dropped immediately. The growing number of critical journalists being targeted in India is extremely worrying. All journalists in the country must be able to report safely on matters in the public interest without fear of harassment, detention or discrimination. ”
- In October 2021, the Press Club of India, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Delhi Union of Journalists organized a “Black Day Protest” meeting at the Press Club in support of Siddique Kappan.
A glimpse of the Black Day protest meeting in support of Siddique Kappan held at Press Club of India, Kerala Working Journalists Union, Delhi Journalists Union today pic.twitter.com/SMxulqU2tk
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) October 5, 2021
- In a 2021 interview, his wife Raihanath Kappan revealed that Siddique was tortured and beaten when he told Uttar Pradesh police that he ate beef. she says,
Uttar Pradesh police asked him if he had ever eaten beef. He said yes and was beaten. Our family was not informed of his arrest, we saw it on the news. ”
- He revealed in an interview that while in jail, he was not allowed to read books in Malayalam and English and was only allowed to read books in Hindi; however, his lawyer helped him get permission to read books in both English and Malayalam language book permission.
- On August 15, 2022, Siddique Kappan’s daughter Maynaaz Kappan delivered a speech on the occasion of India’s 76th Independence Day; she started her speech by talking about her father’s situation in prison. she says,
I am Mehnaz Kapan. The daughter of journalist Siddiq Kapan, a citizen, was forced into a dark room for violating all freedoms of citizens. ”
- In a 2023 interview, when he was asked why he was interested in covering the 2020 gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Hathras, he replied that the victim’s body was removed without the family’s permission In case of cremation, he found the conspiracy interesting.
- According to the Uttar Pradesh government, he is a member of the Indian Islamic political organization “Popular Front of India”, which was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs of India in 2022 for five years.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education