Massive fundraising campaign for brave 19 year old Richa Bharti surpasses target within hours

A fundraising campaign for Richa Bharti, a brave girl from Ranchi who was ordered by the lower Ranchi court to distribute copies of the Islamic holy book Quran to avoid jail sentence, has found unprecedented success with donations surpassing the target within hours.

The fundraising campaign started by a BJP volunteer, Vikas Pandey, found enormous support as the donations surpassed the target of Rs 6,00,000 and has now reached 7,20,000 within hours. The funds are intended to help Richa Bharti and her father to fight the questionable order legally in court.

Teenager Richa Bharti was pulled up for a Facebook post on Tabrez Ansari, a Muslim youth who succumbed to his injuries after being attacked by a mob in Jharkhand. She was arrested after a member of Sadar Anjuman Committee filed a complaint against her. The 19-year old girl has reportedly expressed unhappiness over the court order and has also said that she would move the High Court challenging the order passed by the lower court. She said, “I have only shared the Facebook post. The person who posted it should have been arrested first. I will appeal against the court order in the high court. Today I have been asked to distribute Quran and tomorrow I may be asked to accept Islam.” It has been reported that several organisations expressed objection after Bharti’s arrest, with some even taking out protest marches.

Richa Bharti’s lawyer Ramparvesh Singh spoke about the development and said, “Directing her to donate the books within a fortnight in presence of police authorities and submit a compliance report, the court granted bail to Richa on the condition that she would furnish two sureties of Rs 7,000 each.” Richa Bharti has also been asked to submit the receipts of distributed copies to the Court within 15 days.

The judgement has been met with fury on social media with people. The support for Richa Bharti, who bravely refuses to make the donations, has poured in overwhelmingly. Many social media users made their bit count in fundraising and posted screenshots after making donations.

The success of this massive fundraiser for upholding the fundamentals rights of a 19 year old girl, so that she can challenge the judgement in the Jharkhand High Court, is a welcome and heart-warming step.