Asif Iqbal Tanha (born 13 January 1996) is an Indian student activist, a former student of

Jamia Millia Islamia Jamia Millia Islamia is a Public university, public and research university located in Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British R ...

and a member of

Students Islamic Organisation of India The Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) is the students' wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. It was formed in 1982. According to its constitution, its aims are presenting ''Da’wah'' before students and youth and promoting virtues and mor ...

. He was allegedly involved in the Delhi Riots conspiracy case and is an accused under the UAPA Act. Tanha is also associated with United Against Hate (UAH), a campaign that was started in July 2017 in response to the series of lynchings and hate crimes in India.

Early life and education

Asif Iqbal Tanha was born on 13 January 1996 in Hazaribagh,

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

. He received his primary education in his hometown and graduated in the traditional

dars-e-nizami Dars-i Nizami () is a study curriculum or system used in many Islamic institutions (madrassas) and Darul Ulooms, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century and can now also be found in parts of South Africa, Canada, the United ...

from Jamia Misbahul Uloom, an Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh. He received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in Persian language from the

Personal life

On 07 May 2023, Tanha married Nikhat Momin.

Political activism and controversies

Jamia violence and arrest

After Indian Parliament passed the controversial

Citizenship Amendment Act The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted refugees of religious minoritie ...

, students started protesting in and outside their universities including

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Kh ...

and

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

. Asif along with other activists such as Meeran Haider, Safoora Zargar were leading the protests. He was representing students Islamic Organisation in Jamia Coordination Committee formed after Jamia Violence. On 15 December 2019 when

Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Police falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In 2024, the sanctioned strength of Delhi Police w ...

entered in the campus forcefully to suppress the protesting students. Next day Delhi police registered an FIR against Asif and some other student activists. Delhi Police arrested Asif on 17 May 2020 during

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

Case status

He got the bail in the Delhi Riots Conspiracy case on 16 June 2021. Police did not file the charge sheet in the Jamia Violence case yet. In his press meet after release from Jail, Tanha said he will continue the struggle against the CAA.

Media trial

On 18 August 2020,

Zee News Zee News is an Indian Hindi-language right-wing news channel owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group. It launched on 27 August 1999 and is the flagship channel of the Zee Media Corporation. The channel has been involved in several controve ...

claimed that they got Tanha's confession. In Zee News’s Special Show DNA, Sudheer Chowdhary claimed that Tanha has accepted his role in Jamia and Delhi Violence. Tanha’s counsel filed a legal case against Zee News, OpIndia and other 2 parties. Where Asif Iqbal Tanha stated before the Delhi High Court that Zee News and OpIndia violated Programme Code by making public the alleged confessional statement. Delhi High Court on 15 October 2020 issued notice to Zee News channel to file an affidavit to disclose the source from where the alleged confessional statement was received.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanha, Asif Iqbal

External links

Asif Iqbal Tanha
on

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Asif Iqbal Tanha
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Asif Iqbal Tanha
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Jamia Millia Islamia alumni Living people 1996 births People from Hazaribagh district 21st-century Indian Muslims People involved in the Citizenship Amendment Act protests Activists from Jharkhand

Early life and education

Personal life

Political activism and controversies

Jamia violence and arrest

Case status

Media trial

See also

References

External links