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Abdur Rahman, a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer who on Wednesday, 11 December, said he resigned in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, responded to allegations that he quit due to personal reasons and was using the issue for publicity.
Speaking to the media, he said he had already decided to quit before the CAB controversy because he was distressed after seeing that a particular community was being targeted; be it Triple Talaq, the Jammu and Kashmir issue or mob lynching.
“All these things aside, the CAB will create an atmosphere of unrest; our communal fabric will be disturbed and our brotherhood will be disturbed. That's why I have taken this decision,” he added.
A senior police official told PTI that Rahman had applied for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) in August and was awaiting a decision on his application.
A purported copy of that application emerged online, fuelling accusations that he was merely in it for the publicity.
‘Bill Against Religious Pluralism’
Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the Bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday. Rahman, who is posted as a special IGP in Mumbai, issued a statement saying he won’t be attending office from Thursday.
“This Bill is against the religious pluralism of India. I request all justice loving people to oppose the Bill in a democratic manner. It runs against the very basic feature of the Constitution,” he said.
“The Bill is against the basic feature of the Constitution. I condemn this Bill. In civil disobedience I have decided not attend office from tomorrow. I am finally quitting the service,” Rahman said in the statement.
“During the passage of the Bill, wrong facts, misleadingly information and wrong logic were produced by Home Minister Amit Shah. History was distorted. The idea behind the bill is to stoke fear in Muslims and divide the nation.”Abdur Rahman
The Bill violates Article 14 of the Constitution and is against its basic feature, he said. “It discriminates persons on the basis of religion. It's an act to demonise 200 million Muslims in India,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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