Civil rights groups see a plot to demonise liberals
Thirty-seven civil society organisations came together on Wednesday to condemn the strong arm tactics used by the government to conduct simultaneous raids across five states and arrest five human rights activists.
“These are clearly politically motivated and an attempt to stifle voices of dissent. The unjustified raids and arbitrary arrests of public spirited individuals are nothing but an attack on Indian democracy,” said advocate Mihir Desai. Desai pointed out that that after Sanatan Sanstha recruits were arrested in a terror plot, the government swooped down on the activists to show the world that liberals too were involved in a similar sinister plot.
“The police have used the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act merely to keep people in jail for a long time. The lawyers arrested have been defending the poor, marginalised workers and Dalits. These arrests have been made to deter any dissent or disagreement with the government,” said Desai. Prakash Ambedkar, president of Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh Party, slammed the government and said it is indulging in double talk. “Publicly, it is blaming the Elgar Parishad, saying it is they who are involved in the plot, but in the court, wanting to prosecute the human rights activists, it has dubbed them ‘Urban Naxals’ and is accusing them of hatching sinister conspiracies.
Elgar Parishad has been given a clean chit by Special Inspector General Kolhapur who conducted the Bhima Koregaon inquiry,” said Ambedkar.
Incidentally, this report of Vishwas Nangre-Patil was rejected by the Maharashtra government, as it did not blame the Elgar Parishad. Justice BG Kolse-Patil, one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, rubbished the police claim that the Parishad was behind the BhimaKoregaon violence. “The police on January 8 had clearly stated that there is no connection with the Elgar Parishad. The entire conspiracy is rooted in a few vague complaints made by Manohar Bhide’s worker Tushar Damgude who, in his FIR, claimed that there were provocative speeches, songs and presentations, after which arrests took place to divert attention from Milind Ekbote whose anticipatory bail had been rejected and is not being arrested along with Bhide.
They want to embarrass PB Sawant and me,” alleged Kolse-Patil. Advocate Susan Abraham said, “Since January 13 the bizarre nature of the conspiracy is unfolding before us, when the first arrests were made. The Pune police conspiracy is meant to divert attention from the real perpetrators.”
When asked by media about evidence produced and the chargesheet filed against the previously five arrested, Abraham said, “The Pune police were to file the chargesheet by the September 7 deadline but since they do not have anything new, they have come up with these new arrests and have bought time (additional 90 days) for themselves,” said Abraham.
The organisers have made seven demands which include immediate release of arrested activists, withdrawal of fabricated charges and immediate and unconditional release of all activists previously arrested in June. The civil rights groups have also asked the Press Council of India and News Broadcasting Standards Authority to take suo moto action to direct media houses to desist from all forms of ‘fake news.’
“In particular, stop this false and baseless allegations and criminalisation of human rights activists, who are working tirelessly against the State’s anti-people actions,” said their release. They have demanded speedy investigation and trial of the real culprits of BhimaKoregaon violence, mainly Bhide and Ekbote. They have also demanded that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Phadnavis speak out and distance himself from his ‘mentor’ and prime accused, Bhide. Most importantly, all the groups have called for scrapping the draconian UAPA law. “It is against human rights activists and public intellectuals and it should be scrapped immediately,” said the release.