We the following writers, film makers, artists, students, academics and social movements express our deep concern over the continued, unjust imprisonment of Dalit activist and Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Azad is in prison since June 2017, put away as a threat to ‘national security’ for championing the cause of India’s Dalits – a community repeatedly subjected to racist violence, rape, inhumane untouchability practices, social, cultural and political discrimination. Due to the high level of impunity in cases involving Dalit victims, they have no way of asserting their rights through the judicial system.
We believe the only reason why Azad and his associates have been targeted for imprisonment is the fact they refuse to be intimidated by the threats of both private armies of the upper-caste as also strong-arm methods of the state machinery. Like Malcolm X, the visionary leader of the black community in the United States, Azad is searching for ways to protect Dalit rights fearlessly in a way that is not only constructive but also effective.
Going beyond mere rhetoric Azad organised Dalits into the ‘Bhim Army’– named after Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, one of India’s greatest intellectuals, who drafted the Indian Constitution. The Bhim Army’s main work has been to form over 300 study circles among Dalit students in western Uttar Pradesh to spread education and organise self-defence against violent attacks by high caste groups.
Azad was initially arrested on charges of ‘inciting violence’, following clashes between upper caste Rajputs and Dalits in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. In November 2017 the Allahabad High Court granted bail in all four cases against him and his associate Kamal Walia, observing the charges were false and politically motivated. The police could not provide evidence of Azad’s specific role in the incidents of violence or of possessing weapons of any kind.
The regime however promptly re-arrested Azad under the draconian National Security Act (NSA), that allows the state to put away anyone without bail for a year. The NSA is in a long line of Indian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), that violate all known norms of civil rights and are used by the Indianauthorities to suppress democratic dissent.
Worryingly there are reports of attempts to break him both mentally and bodily while in prison, including through instigated attacks against him by other prisoners. Azad has also had to be hospitalized once due to ill-health and has expressed fears state authorities may try to physically eliminate him, under some pretext or the other.
We feel Azad and the Bhim Army’s fight is not just about India’s Dalit community but for preserving Indian democracy and Constitution itself, under severe attack from extremist political groups seeking unchallenged dictatorial power. The serious threat posed to the life of Azad is similar to that faced by countless other human rights defenders throughout India, in places like Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and the North-East.
It is in this context that we, the undersigned, call for Chandrashekhar Azad’s immediate and unconditional release from prison and the dropping of all false charges against him. We also call upon all those concerned about the state of human rights in the country and the fate of India’s democracy to join the campaign for Azad’s release.
To join the campaign contact:
[email protected]
Signatories:
- Anand Teltumbde
- Akhileshwari Ramagoud
- Anand Patwardhan, Film Maker, Pune
- Anjali Monteiro, Academic and Filmmaker, Mumbai
- Apoorvanand, Academic, New Delhi
- Arshad Ajmal, Social Worker, Patna
- Arundhati Dhuru, National Alliance of People’s Movements
- Avinash Pandey, Asian Human Rights, Commission., Hongkong
- Alwyn, Human Rights Department, Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
- Dr. Aurobindo Ghose, Lawyer, Author, Human Rights Activist
- Abdul Rupan
- Abhishek Bhattacharyya, PhD student, University of Chicago
- S. Anandalakshmy, Chennai
- Ali Mohsin, Writer
- Arpita Jaya, Student, University of Hyderabad
- Abdul Vajid P
- Ashok Mathew Philip, Director, SICHREM
- Anvar Ali, Poet
- Ajmal Khan A.T (Researcher and activist, Mumbai)
- Arun Kumar Singh, Researcher, Writer and Activist
- Anil Kumar
- Archana Seker, Activist and Writer, Chennai
- Amudhan RP, Film Maker/Media Activist/ Founder, Marupakkam Film Festival
- Dr. Aruna Gnanadason, Chennai
- Aparajay, Chennai
- Battini Rao, Convener, People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (P.A.D.S)
- Binu Mathew, Editor, Counrtercurrents.org
- Anand Jagtap, Officer On Special Duty ( OSD ), Slum Sanitation Programme ( SSP)
- Balkrishna Namdeo, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangharsh Morcha
- Bittu Karthik Kondaiah Rai, Sonipat, Haryana
- Budukuttu Krishikara Sangha (BKS)
- Bindu Doddahatti, Advocate, Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore
- Bilal Khan
- A.K.Biswas
- Bob Stuart
- Carmencita Karagdag, Spokesperson and Convenor, Voices of Women for Justice and Peace
- Fr.Cedric Prakash, Ahmedabad
- Dr Chandra Muzaffar, President, International Movement for a JUST World, Malaysia
- Coorg Organisation for Rural Development (CORD)
- Cynthia Stephen, Independent writer and Researcher
- Civic Chandran, Editor, Kozhikode, Kerala
- Communist Propaganda Forum
- Dalit Peoples’ Democratic Front
- Denis A. Conroy, Freelance Writer, Australia
- Dev Desai
- Deba Ranjan, Film maker, Orissa
- Deepa, All India Vice President, DYFI
- David Bodapati, Health Activist, Journalist
- Dhanapal Venkatachalam, Freelance translator
- Dhirendra Panda, Human Rights Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Dominic Fergus-Allen
- Emily Spence, Writer, Massachusetts, USA
- Emerson Samuel, Social Activist
- Faraz Ahmad
- S Faizi, Ecologist, Trivandrum
- Farooque Chowdhury, freelancer, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- K P Fabian, Former Ambassador
- Dr. Goldy George, Social Scientist, Dalit Mukti Morcha
- G. Hassan, Australian Academic
- Ra. Su. Gandhi, Co-ordinator, Ilanthamizhagam Iyakkam, Chennai
- Gita Ramaswamy, Publisher, Hyderabad
- George Pulikuthiyil
- V. Geetha, Writer, Chennai
- Hartman de Souza, Writer, Goa
- Harbans Mukhia, former Rector, JNU
- Haridas Narangapetta,
- Ish Mishra, Academic, New Delhi
- Ilayaraja, State President, Tamilnadu Students Front
- Ishwarbhai Prajapati
- Dr. S. Q.R.Ilyas, National President, Welfare Party of India
- Jai Sen, researcher and writer, New Delhi
- K.P. Jayasankar, Academic and Filmmaker, Mumbai
- Jagadish Chandra, New Socialist Alternative, Bangalore
- Jenny Romero Llaguno, Women Writers Against Tyranny
- K.K.Jishnu, Idukki, Kerala
- Kaushik Tekur, Student, HCU
- Joseph Grosso, writer, activist, librarian in New York
- Joseph Mattam
- John Scales Avery, Scientist and peace activist, Denmark
- John Chuckman
- John Dayal, Activist, Writer, General of All India Christian Council, New Delhi
- Jon Kofas
- James Rothenberg, writer
- Prof Jagmohan, Shahid Bhagat Singh Creativity Center, Jallandhar
- Jithendran Charvakan, Media Activist
- Julia Lagoc
- Kaitsu Vaara, Finland
- Kavin Malar, Writer/ Journalist, Chennai
- Kaushik Tekur, Student, HCU.
- Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Academic, New Delhi
- Kanaga Varathan
- Kavin Malar, Writer/Journalist, Chennai
- Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Feminist and Human Rights activist, Mumbai
- Kavitha Sornavalli, writer and Journalist, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Kritika A, Journalist/Researchcer/ Student, Kerala
- A.S.Jaswal
- Karuna D.W., Researcher, Chennai
- Dr. Ludwig Watzal, Journalist and Editor, Bonn, Germany
- Mohammad Ashraf, I.A.S. (Retired), Former Director General Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir
- Makkal Sananayaga Kudiyarasu Katchi (Peoples’ Democratic Republican Party)
- Madhumita Dutta, Researcher, Teacher
- B.C.Mehta, Emeritus Professor of Economics.
- Dr. Mustapha Marrouchi, University of Toronto, Canada
- Madhusudanan
- Madhu Bhaduri, former diplomat, New Delhi
- Mustafa Desamangalam, Film Maker
- Meghnath, Film Maker
- Manu, PhD Student, Chennai Mathematical Institute
- Manisha Sethi, Academic, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
- Manas Ray
- Mir Suhail, Founder, Daily Muslim Express
- Maya Pramod, Thalasserry
- May 17 Movement, Tamil Nadu
- Mohinder Ram
- National Adivasi Alliance (NAA)
- Nawab Khan, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
- Neelima Sharma, Dramatist, New Delhi
- CR Neelakandan, Writer, Environmental Activist,
- Nilanjan Datta, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), West Bengal
- Nivedita Dwivedi, Independent Writer
- Pratap Antony, Secunderabad
- Prashant Bhaskaran
- VT Padmanabhan, Anti-Nuclear Campaigner
- Padmaja Shaw
- Prabhat Kumar Chaudhari,
- Parimala, Young Tamilnadu Movement
- Dr. Partho Sarothi Ray, Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, West Bengal
- Prasant Paikray, POSCO Pratirodh Sangarsh Samithi
- Priyanka Sandiya, Research Student, TISS
- Prafulla Samantara, President, Lok Shakti Abhiyan
- Rabin Chakraborty, Frontier, Kolkata
- Raj Bangar Spokesperson for the Kent Ravidasia Community, United Kingdom
- Rajkumar Kamble
- Rahul Varman, Academic, IIT, Kanpur
- MSP Rao
- Rob Currie, Solidarity Group of Arenal, Nicaragua
- Rinchin
- Robert J. Burrowes Ph.D., Australia
- Rohan D’ Souza, Associate Professor, Kyoto University, Japan
- Romi Mahajan, USA
- Rijuta Mishra
- Rekha Raj, Amnesty International, Bangalore.
- Reetika Khera, Associate Professor, Economics, IIT, Delhi
- Rashida Bi, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh
- Rachna Dhingra, Bhopal Group for Information and Action
- Ramdas Rao
- Rafeek VGLA
- D.K.Rathore
- M.K.Ratheesh, Ernakulam
- Ron Forthofer
- Satinath Sarangi Bhopal Group for Information and Action
- Sarita Malaviya, Children Against Dow Carbide
- Samraj Poet
- Sankara Narayanan
- Senthalir
- Shalini Gera, Advocate, High Court of Chhattisgarh in Bilaspur
- Shobha Aggarwal, Advocate & member, PIL Watch Group
- Sheshu Babu, Writer
- C.M.Sherif
- Shashank Kela, Writer, Chennai
- Sharad Behar, Bhopal
- Sindhu Menon, Special Correspondent, Labour File
- Sukruta Alluri, Research Scholar, CSSSC, Hyderabad
- K.P. Sasi, Film Maker, Writer, Activist
- Satya Sagar, Public Health Activist, New Delhi
- Solomon S.J.
- Sourav, Journalist, Free Press Journal
- Shiva Shankar, Professor, Chennai Mathematical Institute
- Sahib Khawaja
- K Satchidanandan, Writer
- Sandeep Pandey, NAPM
- Sajeev Narayan
- Siddharth K J, Independent Researcher, Bengaluru
- Shamsul Islam, Author, New Delhi
- Suvashish De
- Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Public health doctor and researcher
- Soorya Kanthi
- Sreejith Diwakaran, Journalist, New Delhi
- Sreedhar, Environics Trust
- Stan Swamy, Human Rights Activist, Jharkhand
- Sumanta Banerjee, Writer
- V.Srinivasan Human Rights Activist,Chennai,Tamilnadu
- Sharada J Schaffter, Chennai
- Sarath Cheloor, Dynamic Action, Kerala
- Sukhdev Vishwapremi, National Convener, People’s Campaign for Socio – Economic Equality, Himachal Pradesh
- Susan E. Davies, Oikotree
- Dr.V.N.Sharma
- Shaji M.K.
- Tomy Mathew, Journal of Counter Culture Perspectives
- Tridib Reeves
- Uma Chakravarti, Academic, New Delhi
- Dr. V. G. Venturini, Australia
- Dr, Veena Shatrugna M.D., Former Deputy Director, National Institute of Nutrition,
- Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Activist, writer, Delhi
- Vikas R. Mourya
- T. Venkat, Independent Journalist, Chennai
- Vivek Sundara, Human Rights Activist, Mumbai
- P.K.Vijayan
- Vijay Shah
- Vijay Kumar Bairwa
- Vinod Mubayi
- Vinoth Kaligai, Spokesperson, Ilanthamizhagam Iyakkam, Chennai
- Venkat Kolagari
- Valson Thampu
- William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Defender/Freelance Journalist, UK
- William Stanley, Social Activist
- Yugank, Research Scholar, Ambedkar University, Delhi
208. Dr B Karthik Navayan, Human Rights Activist, Bangalore
209. K. Sudhir, Architect, Chennai
210. Rahul Varman, Academic, IIT Kanpur
211. Gurpreet Singh, the publisher of Radical Desi, Canada and cofounder of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India.