On the 10th roza of Ramzan, a different kind of iftar unfolded in Mumbai. The Innocence Network organised a Dua, Solidarity Iftar and Public Meeting dedicated to political prisoners who, organisers said, had been falsely incarcerated, particularly under terrorism and other stringent laws.
Described as a one-of-its-kind gathering, the event brought together former prisoners, individuals out on bail, those acquitted in high-profile cases, families of the incarcerated, lawyers and members of civil society. With the exception of senior journalist Manisha Bhalla of Dainik Bhaskar, most speakers shared lived experiences of arrest, prolonged trials or imprisonment.
Over the past few years, the Innocence Network had convened this iftar as more than a religious observance. Organisers described it as an act of remembrance and solidarity, a space where those who had endured incarceration could sit together, break bread and speak openly about what prison did to the body and mind, and how families navigated the economic and social toll of long legal battles.
Conversations moved beyond personal accounts. Stories of alleged wrongful prosecutions, prolonged undertrial detention, solitary confinement, medical neglect and repeated adjournments surfaced alongside accounts of resilience, including how individuals survived psychologically in confinement and how families sustained hope amid uncertainty. Lawyers and activists reflected on the use of stringent laws and the challenges of defending those accused under them.
The Innocence Network stated that its work centred on challenging wrongful implication and questioning what it called convenient arrests and coerced narratives. The iftar, organisers said, formed part of that effort and asserted that the power to accuse and imprison must remain open to scrutiny.
The event was addressed by several prominent speakers, including Maulana Gulam Yahya, former Imam of Haj House Mumbai, who had been arrested in a terror case and later acquitted; Mohammad Sajid Ansari, who was acquitted by the Bombay High Court after spending 19 years in incarceration in connection with the 2006 Mumbai 7/11 local train serial blasts case; Rona Wilson, who had been granted bail in the Bhima Koregaon case; and Advocate Sadiq Qureshi, who had been arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Young Bombay High Court advocate Vinod Patil and senior journalist Manisha Bhalla also addressed the gathering.
Organisers said people from different religions and walks of life attended the programme. They expressed hope that the event would strengthen networks of legal and social support for those entangled in prolonged trials and draw wider attention to concerns around due process and justice.
Though modest in form, a meal at sunset, the gathering carried a larger assertion that those accused and imprisoned should not remain invisible, and that solidarity could endure beyond prison walls.
