All India Muslim Mahapanchayat: Know the ‘hate mongers’ behind the communal event

Posted on by Dibakar Dutta
All India Muslim Mahapanchayat: Know the 'hate mongers' behind the communal event

An organisation by the name of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ (MSC) has been planning to conduct an ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ at the Ramlila Maidan in the National Capital.

On 12th October this year, it held a press conference and declared that a large congregation of Muslims would be organised on 29th October.

The announcement was made by Mehmood Pracha, the ‘national convenor’ of MSC, who claimed that ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ was being organised over alleged ‘atrocities’ against Muslims in India.

On 23rd October, Pracha made yet another video, appealing to the Muslim community to join the Mahapanchayat in large numbers.

In a petition filed before the Delhi High Court, he claimed to have received permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central district, Delhi) to hold the event at the Ramlila Maidan. Pracha had sought permission for a gathering of 10,000 people to ‘educate them about their constitutional rights.’

The national convenor of the ‘Mission Save Constitution’ (MSC) allegedly deposited ₹50000 for conducting the ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ after receiving ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the police.

After having learnt about the communal nature of the event, the Delhi police revoked the permission that was initially granted to MSC on 16th October this year. The booking at the Ramilla Maidan was subsequently cancelled on the following day.

Mehmood Pracha then moved the Delhi High Court on 19th October against the decision of the Delhi police to cancel the event. The court noted,

“…It has surfaced that the theme of the event is different than what was projected by the organizers while seeking permission. The letter further states that in the re-assessment it has been disclosed that…the language written on the posters available on social media regarding the event shows that the agenda of the event appears to be communal and there is a strong apprehension that holding such even during festive season and at such a sensitive place may spread communal hatred and dent the peace and tranquility of the area. The letter also states that amidst the tension in the Arab countries due to ongoing war between Israel and HAMAS, the authorities apprehend that such kind of events may lead to a law and order situation and spoil the atmosphere of Old Delhi where people belonging to all religions live and, therefore, the NOC granted to the Petitioner vide letter dated 06.10.2023 stands revoked.”

On 25th October, the court refused to interfere in the revocation of NOC, directed ‘Mission Save Constitution’ to reschedule their programme and seek fresh permission from Delhi Police after the Hindu festive season is over.

It further added, “Though the event has been styled for the purpose of educating people of their constitutional rights but the tenor of posters which have been produced by the learned Counsel for Respondent No.2 indicates that the event in question can have communal over-tones which can result in increasing communal tensions in the Old Delhi area, which is a “sensitive” area as people of different religions live here and communal violence in the area is not unknown. The apprehension raised by the SHO of that area, who is aware of the ground reality, cannot be ignored.“

All India Muslim Mahapanchayat postponed to 18th December

After the Delhi High Court refused to entertain his writ petition, Mehmood Pracha then rescheduled the controversial event to 4th December 2023.

However, Delhi police turned down his request, highlighting that it has already granted permission to an organisation named ‘Maha Tyagi Sewa Sansthan’ to conduct its programme between 3rd and 5th December this year.

The ‘Mission Save Constitution’ has claimed that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) informed it that Ramlilla Maidan had no programmes lined up on 4th December, 2023, and that Delhi police was somehow making a contradictory statement.

It must be mentioned that the ‘Maha Tyagi Sewa Sansthan’ sought permission from Delhi police on 8th November while MSC filed request two days later i.e. 10th November.

On 25th November, the Delhi High Court directed the MCD and the Delhi police to provide a date that is convenient to organising the ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat.’

The court said, “It is stated by the learned Counsel for the Petitioner that out of the dates given by MCD and the Police Authorities, the date of 18.12.2023 is the most convenient for holding the Mahapanchayat.“

As such, the event was re-scheduled to 18th December this year. The Delhi High Court has directed the police to consider the feasibility of holding the Mahapanchayat on that date.

On 28th November, the court directed ‘Mission Save Constitution’ to hand over details of all guests/ speakers to the police. A meeting was thereafter conducted between the organisers of the Mahapanchayat, the local police and the traffic police.

Failed to provide written assurance to Delhi Police

However, the All India Muslim Mahapanchayat could not be held at Ramlila Maidan on 18th December 2023.

As per a report by The Hindu, the organisers failed to provide a ‘written assurance’ about the safe and smooth conduct of the event to the Delhi Police.

While speaking about the matter, a cop informed, “We have not received any written assurance related to certain points to conduct the event, therefore no-objection certificate (NOC) cannot be issued. Nobody approached us till Sunday (17th December) night.”

On being contacted by The Hindu, Mehmood Pracha informed about his plan to move the Delhi High Court. Pracha also said that the event had been deferred and a small gathering was organised instead at Aiwan-e-Ghalib auditorium near ITO in the National Capital.

‘Mission Save Constitution’ and its nefarious demands

The organisation was founded by ‘advocate’ Mehmood Pracha on 15th August, 2020 i.e. on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day.

While Pracha serves as the ‘national convenor’ of ‘Mission Save Constitution’, retired IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah happens to be the ‘principal advisor’ of the organisation.

Retired Bombay High Court Judge Kolse Patil, known for his anti-Hindu remarks, is the ‘advisor’ of MSC.

The stated demands of the organisation include – junking the NRC and NPR (National Population Register) proposal to identify illegal immigrants in India, preventing arrests of anti-CAA/ NRC/ NPR rioters, compensation to rioters who were killed during anti-farm law and anti-CAA protests, and repeal of farm laws.

‘Mission Save Constitution’ has been organising sit-in protests for the past 96 days for one Ritu Singh, an ad-hoc Professor at Daulat Ram College of Delhi University whose employment was terminated in 2020.

Singh has claimed that her removal was due to her ‘Dalit’ caste identity and sought the removal of the college Prinicpal, Dr Savita Roy on grounds of caste discrimination. MSC has thrown its weight behind the former Professor of Daulat Ram College and has created a dedicated Facebook page for the ’cause.’

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The YouTube page of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ prominently features Mehmood Pracha and Islamic hate preacher Maulana Tauqeer Raza, disseminating pro-Hamas propaganda and demonising Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

NMC ‘national convenor’ Mehmood Pracha featured in ISIS magazine

Mehmood Pracha, who works as an advocate and the national convenor of ‘Mission Save Constitution’, was accused of forging an affidavit and tutoring the anti-Hindu Delhi riot victims to give false testimonies.

His antics bear an uncanny resemblance to that of ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad, accused of tutoring victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. In December 2020, a special cell of Delhi Police conducted searches at the office of Mehmood Pracha. He was also booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 182, 193, 420, 468, 471, 472, 473, and 120B.

Mehmood Pracha was seen representing rioter Arif, accused of murdering Hindu victim Alok Tiwari during the 2020 Delhi riots. He had cast aspersions on the integrity of Delhi Police and falsely claimed that only Muslims were targeted during the riots in the National Capital.

The national convenor of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ also holds the distinction of being featured on the cover of ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind’ in February 2020.

In May 2022, Mehmood Pracha also defended Delhi University Professor Ratan Lal, who made derogatory remarks about the Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Kashi.

He was also involved in the character assassination of Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad, representing the Delhi Police in the case of the larger conspiracy in Delhi anti-Hindu riots of 2020.

Antics of Wajahat Habibullah

Wajahat Habibullah, a former IAS officer who served as the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, works as the ‘Principle Advisor’ to ‘Mission Save Constitution.’

He was one of the first petitioners to ask the Supreme Court to direct the Delhi police to lodge First Information Reports (FIRs) during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots. Habibullah had also come to the rescue of anti-CAA protestors at Shaheen Bagh, who brought the National Capital to a standstill by putting up a road blockade.

While filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court, he claimed, “There are numerous number of road that have no connection with the protest that have been barricaded by the police unnecessarily, abdicating their responsibilities and duties and wrongly laying the blame on the protest.”

Wajahat Habibullah also came to the defence of lawyer-turned-activist Prashant Bhushan in contempt of court case by raking up the issue of ‘freedom of speech.’

MSC ‘advisor’ BG Kolse Patil defamed Veer Savarkar, organised Elgaar Parishad

Former Judge of the Bombay High Court, BG Kolse Patil, serves as the advisor of ‘Mission Save Constitution.’ A full-fledged ‘activist’, Patil was booked by the Pune Police in January 2020 for making defamatory remarks against Veer Savarkar.

In a viral video, he falsely claimed that the Indian freedom fighter was ‘convicted’ of rape without providing any evidence. While supporting Rahul Gandhi’s vitriolic tirade against Veer Savarkar, the retired High Court judge alleged that the freedom fighter called for the killing of Muslims and Christians.

In January 2020, he incited the Muslim community during an anti-CAA protest that was organised by Jamat Islamic Hind.

“We have started a movement. You (Muslims) should take the initiative now. You are 20-25 crores in population and once if you hit the streets, the entire country will be shaken,” BG Kolse Patil was heard saying.

He falsely claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted to give citizenship to Hindus whose names did not feature in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

The ‘activist’ was accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous female journalist in 2018 during the #MeToo movement.

BG Kolse Patil was one of the organisers of the Elgaar Parishad held in Maharashtra in 2018, which culminated in the Bhima Koregaon riots. He is known for making anti-Hindu speeches from time to time.

In one such speech in 2016, he alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was spreading ‘Hindu terror’ in the country.https://www.youtube.com/embed/VmMrQpSkRpU?si=-5n_JKMhosAvjI1N

In another speech, Patil claimed that ‘RSS is the biggest enemy of India’ and vowed the defeat it at the ‘ideological level’. He has openly expressed his disdain for the word ‘Hindustan’, alleging that it is used to refer to Hindus alone and not all Indians.

In November 2017, the retired Bombay High Court Judge claimed that the RSS took money from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI at an event organised by the proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI). He alleged that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat received ₹24 lakh to destabilise India.

Featured Image via YouTube/ Mission Save Constitution

The article was first published in OpIndia on December 2, 2023.