Who is Afreen Fatima, ex-JNU activist whose house was bulldozed after Prayagraj violence?

After protests broke out in parts of Uttar Pradesh over the remarks made by Nupur Sharma against Prophet Muhammad, the state authorities brought in bulldozers and razed several houses in Prayagraj and Saharanpur, alleging illegal construction of the property.

One of the houses which were razed was of Afreen Fatima, a student activist who used to study at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. After her house was razed, several JNUSU students protested on campus against the actions of the Yogi Adityanath-led-UP government.

People showed their support for Afreen Fatima on social media using the hashtag #IStandWithAfreenFatima, saying that her house was wrongfully demolished by the government, though Prayagraj authorities have claimed otherwise.

Who is Afreen Fatima?

Afreen Fatima is a former student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and a noted student activist of the university. She is also the former president of the students union of Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University.

Afreen Fatima was one of the most active activists during the anti-CAA/NRC protests of 2019 in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, which lasted for months. She has also raised her voice on several issues concerning the female Muslim community, such as the hijab controversy.

According to media reports, Fatima had also staged the anti-CAA protests in Prayagraj in 2019 and had organized a protest consisting of 300 women against the hijab ban. Fatima’s house was razed along with other properties on Saturday, just a day after the Friday violence in Prayagraj.

Why was Afreen Fatima’s house razed?

According to the Prayagraj authorities, the JNU student’s house was bulldozed by the government for the illegal construction on the ground floor of the residence. The authorities have also said that they issued a notice to Fatima’s family last month but got no response.

It must be noted that this comes just a day after the Prayagraj violence that took place against Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad. It is alleged that Fatima’s father Javed Ahmed is the mastermind behind the violent protests, and he is the one who organized the crowd.

It has been alleged that Javed Ahmed, Fatima’s father, called for the protests and violence through a Whatsapp message and “incited violence”. According to reports, Ahmed was arrested from his home with his wife and daughter Afreen, but the family members were released later.

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