Post Tagged with: "Bhima Koregaon"

Five years behind bars for five activists

Five years behind bars for five activists

Without bail, without charges being framed, without justice! Release all 15-surviving accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. June 6, 2023 will mark five years that five activists are behind bars. They include Mahesh Raut, an anti-displacement campaigner, Rona Wilson, a political prisoners’ campaigner, Shoma Sen, a feminist activist and professor, Sudhir Dhawale, a Dalit rights activist and Surendra Gadling, a[Read More…]

by 06/06/2023 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Five Years Since The First Arrests In Bhima-Koregaon Case

Five Years Since The First Arrests In Bhima-Koregaon Case

6th June 2018. The nation’s conscience suffered yet another attack by the arrests of leading intellectuals and democratic rights activists by the Pune police in connection with the so-called Bhima-Koregaon (BK) case. These arrests snowballed into a series of arrests in subsequent months. Five years have passed, and barring a few activists out on bail, the arrested persons are still languishing in jail without a[Read More…]

by 06/06/2023 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Release Gautam Navlakha Immediately! Release all political prisoners

Release Gautam Navlakha Immediately! Release all political prisoners

Today, 14 April 2023 marks four years, seven months and eighteen days since Gautam Navlakha’s arrest on 28 August 2018. A well-known human rights activist, respected journalist and writer of long standing, Gautam has now been incarcerated for three years since 14 April 2020 when he surrendered at the NIA office in Delhi. Gautam went to jail when the pandemic[Read More…]

by 14/04/2023 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Campaign against State Repression stages protest Meetings in Delhi

Campaign against State Repression stages protest Meetings in Delhi

The struggle of demanding the release of political prisoners framed under the yoke of laws like Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act i.e. UAPA is intensifying day by day. Positive that intellectuals are coming to the forefront to raise their bold voices when perils of neo-fascism are threatening the country at an unparalleled scale. Such initiatives are the last straw in saving[Read More…]

by 14/01/2023 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Supreme Court’s Widely- Praised Bail for Anand Teltumbde should be Followed by Wider Justice in Elgar Case

Supreme Court’s Widely- Praised Bail for Anand Teltumbde should be Followed by Wider Justice in Elgar Case

Supreme Court’s firmness in upholding the Bombay High Court’s order granting bail to Anand Teltumbde has been widely appreciated. However, we must also listen to what this 73 year old distinguished scholar activist, coming out  after spending 31 months in prison, had to stay regarding the case in which several other distinguished activists have also been implicated—“the sad thing is[Read More…]

by 28/11/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Supreme Court’s Concerns Regarding the Health of Gautam Navlakha Are Widely Shared

Supreme Court’s Concerns Regarding the Health of Gautam Navlakha Are Widely Shared

The concerns expressed by a Supreme Court Bench on November 9 regarding the health of an elderly political prisoner Gautam Navlakha have been widely appreciated in the country. Justice Hrishikesh Roy found it disturbing that hardly any progress had been made since the charge-sheet against him was filed in October 2020 ( over two years ago).  Justice K.M. Joseph  stated,[Read More…]

by 10/11/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Vernon Gonsalves: Statement by Family Members of the Accused in the fabricated BK case

Vernon Gonsalves: Statement by Family Members of the Accused in the fabricated BK case

In yet another act of criminal negligence, the prison authorities of Taloja Central Jail, Maharashtra, have delayed medical treatment to Vernon Gonsalves, a prominent activist and one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad case. Gonsalves, who is 65 years old, fell ill with fever on August 30th, and even though his condition was steadily deteriorating, he[Read More…]

by 12/09/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Vernon Gonsalves: Stop Denying Political Prisoners the Right to Healthcare in Jails

Vernon Gonsalves: Stop Denying Political Prisoners the Right to Healthcare in Jails

On 8th September Vernon Gonsalves, one of the 16 undertrials in the Bhima Koregaon case lodged in the anda cell of Taloja Central Jail, was diagnosed with dengue and likely pneumonia. Gonsalves age 65, had been suffering from fever since 30th August, but it took an appeal from his lawyer and the intervention of the Court for the Taloja Jail[Read More…]

by 12/09/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Release Activist Vernon Gonsalves on immediate Medical bail

Release Activist Vernon Gonsalves on immediate Medical bail

Statement by Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy – a campaign of 40+ civil society groups MRSD is distressed to learn about the health situation of 65 year old activist, poet, and writer Vernon Gonsalves, incarcerated since 2018 in the Bhima Koregaon/Elgar Parishad case. Gonsalves started developing several symptoms, such as fever, cough, dizziness, and nausea starting on August 30, as[Read More…]

by 12/09/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
A clarion call for the unconditional release of all political prisoners

A clarion call for the unconditional release of all political prisoners

Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) rose to the very need of the hour by staging a protest meeting for release of political prisoners. Even if not such large numbers, an event of most qualitative significance in light of neo-fascism sharpening it’s fangs day by day. It was a stepping stone in dealing with the question of incarceration of[Read More…]

by 03/08/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Release All Political Prisoners

Release All Political Prisoners

A Great Way of Celebrating 75th Anniversary of Independence is to Release All Political Prisoners. Campaign Should Start Now to be Effective by August 1 In the course of India’s long and very courageous freedom movement, India became from time to time the country with perhaps the largest number of political prisoners in the world. These included many highly distinguished[Read More…]

by 14/04/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
When the Process becomes the Punishment

When the Process becomes the Punishment

Tomorrow, 14th April 2022 marks the completion of two years of PUDR activist Gautam Navlakha’s surrender before the NIA. One of sixteen accused in the infamous Bhima Koregaon case, Gautam has been imprisoned in Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai since 25 May 2020.  For more than six months now, since 12 October 2021, the nearly 70 years old Gautam, an[Read More…]

by 14/04/2022 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Bhima Koregaon is a battle of self esteem and social change ….

Bhima Koregaon is a battle of self esteem and social change ….

In India, there is a saying that ’56 like you have seen’. This saying is formed from historical events and the background of this saying is also formed from the historical battle of Bhima Koregaon When only 500 Mahar soldiers had crushed 28,000 Peshwa soldiers. To understand the historical significance of Bhima Koregaon, one must first understand the Peshwa. The[Read More…]

by 01/01/2022 Comments are Disabled India
Rally for jailed Indian scholars held on International Human Rights Day

Rally for jailed Indian scholars held on International Human Rights Day

In spite of rain and cold weather, South Asian activists gathered outside the Indian Visa and Passport Application Center in Surrey on Friday, December 10 to raise their voices for political prisoners being incarcerated by the world’s so-called largest democracy. Organized by Radical Desi, the rally started with a moment of silence for 14 civilians killed by the Indian army[Read More…]

by 11/12/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
PUCL Welcome Bail for Sudha Bharadwaj

PUCL Welcome Bail for Sudha Bharadwaj

 The PUCL welcomes the short order of the Supreme Court  yesterday, 07th December, 2021, dismissing the SLP filed by the NIA which challenged the grant of statutory bail to Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj, a committed activist lawyer and member of PUCL. The PUCL sees this important order and the order of the Bombay High Court which was under challenge, as a[Read More…]

by 08/12/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
An open letter from Sahba Husain

An open letter from Sahba Husain

Gautam Navlakha, nearly 70, is one of the oldest of the Bhima Koregaon arrestees, who was shifted to the “Anda Circle” (high security) from the barracks on October 12, 2021. Additionally, his telephone calls to me and his lawyers, his lifeline to the outside world, have been discontinued on the pretext that physical mulaquats have resumed in jail. I, his[Read More…]

by 22/11/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
South Asian media fraternity in Canada raises voice for Gautam Navlakha

South Asian media fraternity in Canada raises voice for Gautam Navlakha

The members of Punjabi Press Club of British Columbia (PPCBC) have unanimously condemned the continued incarceration of the journalist and author under inhuman conditions in the Indian jail. Gautam Navlakha was arrested on trumped up charges in April 2020, and is currently lodged in jail near Mumbai. His only crime is daring to question the powerful, and always standing up[Read More…]

by 12/11/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Sudha Bhardwaj and Gulab Kaur (right)

Sudha Bharadwaj is a true patriot and heir of the Ghadar movement

Currently incarcerated under trumped up charges in the world’s so called largest democracy, Sudha Bharadwaj is one of the dozens of scholars and activists locked up in the Indian jails. Bharadwaj, who turned 60 on November 1, is a lawyer who has been advocating for the rights of the poor and marginalized, especially Adivasis or the Indigenous peoples of India[Read More…]

by 07/11/2021 1 comment Human Rights
Rally for the release of Gautam Navlakha held in Canada

Rally for the release of Gautam Navlakha held in Canada

On the 37th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide, South Asian activists gathered in Surrey to raise their voices for a jailed Indian scholar, who was behind documenting the tragedy and exposing those involved. Gautam Navlakha was arrested on trumped up charges in April 2020, and is currently lodged in jail near Mumbai. His only crime is daring to question[Read More…]

by 01/11/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Sudha Bharadwaj marks her fourth birthday in prison today

Sudha Bharadwaj marks her fourth birthday in prison today, November 1st, 2021, when she completes 60 years. She has been in jail along with the other BK-16 accused as undertrials, with the state neither commencing the trial nor releasing her on bail. Sudha’s life is a testament to a passionate concern to redressing injustice and redressing injustice is nothing, if[Read More…]

by 01/11/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
System of solitary confinement, ‘Anda Cell’, inside the jail be stopped

System of solitary confinement, ‘Anda Cell’, inside the jail be stopped

How a human rights activist could be a challenge to the jail authority? On what way could solitary confinement of undertrial prisoner help him/her to avail justice? From various press releases, letters and media reports, Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakhya Sangathan, Odisha (GASS) got information that the some of the human rights activists, arrested on Elgar Parishad – Bhima Koregaon case, have[Read More…]

by 29/10/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Condemn The Solitary Confinement And Continuing Harassment Of Bhima Koregaon Prisoners

Condemn The Solitary Confinement And Continuing Harassment Of Bhima Koregaon Prisoners

The high handedness of the Taloja Central Jail administration was evident in the events leading to the death of the octogenarian Bhima Koregaon undertrail, Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021. Almost immediately, the remaining BK undertrials protested the arbitrary jail conditions imposed by the then Superintendent, Kaustabh Kurlekar by observing a one-day hunger strike. However, far from bringing such persecution[Read More…]

by 26/10/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Increasing spread of virus infection in Byculla prison is worrisome: Friends & Family of Sudha Bharadwaj

Increasing spread of virus infection in Byculla prison is worrisome: Friends & Family of Sudha Bharadwaj

Friends and Family of Sudha Bharadwaj are extremely worried over the alarming and disturbing news of the rising Covid-19 infection in Byculla women’s jail forcing the authorities to seal the premise. Last week, in a prison supervised phone conversation Koel Sen had with her mother Shoma Sen, former professor of English from Nagpur University, arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case[Read More…]

by 26/09/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
More than 100 activists write to Deccan Herald regarding vilifying and unethical advertisement

More than 100 activists write to Deccan Herald regarding vilifying and unethical advertisement

To, Mr. Sitaraman Shankar, Acting CEO, TPML, Editor, Deccan Herald CC: Mr B.S Arun, Deputy Editor 15 July 2021 We would like to draw your attention to the State page (Page 5) of E-Paper/Newspaper, released on 15 July 2021. The Deccan Herald’s (DH) Visual Connect ad on the page is not just factually incorrect, but also in appalling taste. Advertising[Read More…]

by 15/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
BK16: Why Is The Judiciary Still Sleeping?

BK16: Why Is The Judiciary Still Sleeping?

The Bhima Koregaon15 spending a single additional night in jail is a travesty of justice. The third report by Arsenal Consulting on evidence planting became public on July 6, with even more damning evidence corroborating the first two reports in February and April that confirmed extensive evidence planting on Rona Wilson’s hard drive, the first of the arrestees in the[Read More…]

by 14/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
New forensic report on Bhima Koregoan accused finds more evidence of planted files, this time on Surendra Gadling’s hard drive

New forensic report on Bhima Koregoan accused finds more evidence of planted files, this time on Surendra Gadling’s hard drive

Planting of files on Bhima Koregaon accused Surendra Gadling’s system follows a similar pattern as that on Rona Wilson’s system, new forensic report finds The already weakened case against the 16 accused in the Bhima Koregaon case was dealt a final blow by a third digital forensic report released earlier this afternoon by NDTV and the Washington Post. The report[Read More…]

by 06/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
The Institutional Murder of Fr. Stan Swamy

The Institutional Murder of Fr. Stan Swamy

A statement by the family members and friends of the BK-16 We, the friends and family members of those accused in the Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy case, are deeply pained and shaken to the core by the loss of Father Stan Swamy. This is not a natural death, but the institutional murder of a gentle soul, committed by an inhuman state.[Read More…]

by 06/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Stan Swamy’s Health: Open Letter To Chief Justice Of Bombay High Court

Stan Swamy’s Health: Open Letter To Chief Justice Of Bombay High Court

Respected Sir, This is to bring to your notice the irreversibly deteriorating condition of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy, an undertrial prisoner accused in the Elgar Parishad case and lodged at Taloja Central Prison in Maharashtra. He has been under intensive care at the Holy Family Hospital at Bandra, Mumbai, after he was directed to be hospitalized on 28 May. Today,[Read More…]

by 05/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Urgent need for bail and specialised medical treatment for critical Stan Swamy

Urgent need for bail and specialised medical treatment for critical Stan Swamy

Statement by Jharkhand Jan Adhikar Mahasabha 84-year old Priest Stan Swamy’s health has deteriorated and he has been put on a ventilator at the Holy Family hospital. His situation is said to be critical. The NIA and central government are solely responsible for the sufferings of this elderly person and the current state of affair. The NIA court also played[Read More…]

by 04/07/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Protests in Punjab on arrests of intellectuals and social activists

Protests in Punjab on arrests of intellectuals and social activists

A most encouraging phenomena has emerged in Punjab in the last week with 4most qualitative protests engulfing Punjab  in Bathinda , Amritsar ,Sangrur  and Nawanshahr against the detention of the intellectuals fabricated as Maoists. The speakers at the very core exposed link between saffron Hindutva politics and the patronage to corporate groups like Ambani or Adani.They portrayed how the trend[Read More…]

by 19/06/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
WANTED: Immediate Justice in the Bhima-Koregaon Conspiracy

WANTED: Immediate Justice in the Bhima-Koregaon Conspiracy

It was the virtual ‘midnight knock’! The irony was that the knock took place in broad daylight, and expectedly in a blatantly unjust, uncivilised and unconstitutional manner. On 6 June 2018, Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson were arrested from their residences in various parts of the country. The arrests of others then continued in[Read More…]

by 13/06/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Prominent international figures urge release of human rights defenders in India

Prominent international figures urge release of human rights defenders in India

Over 50 eminent international figures including members of several European parliaments academics, lawyers, Nobel laureates, civil society leaders, and diasporic organisations have signed a joint statement urging the Indian government to show compassion and responsibility in the current Covid emergency, and call upon the authorities to release all arrested human rights defenders into safe conditions in the light of the[Read More…]

by 11/06/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Urgent need to shift Stan Swamy to a good hospital

Urgent need to shift Stan Swamy to a good hospital

Stan Swamy, 84-year old Adivasi rights activist from Jharkhand, was arrested by NIA under UAPA in the Bhima Koregaon case on the 8th of October 2020 and has been lodged in Taloja jail, near Mumbai, Maharashtra. He has spent his entire life fighting for Adivasi rights and the rights of the underprivileged. Stan Swamy is a Parkinson’s disease patient with[Read More…]

by 20/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Two Crucial Reasons Why Fr. Stan Swamy Should Be Released at the Earliest

Two Crucial Reasons Why Fr. Stan Swamy Should Be Released at the Earliest

It is the duty of all patriotic citizens to protect the international reputation of their country. For the greater part of its post-independence period India has experienced a reasonably good reputation in terms of democracy and human rights. There were always some problems, things were never perfect, there were ups and downs, but on the whole there was a reasonably[Read More…]

by 17/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
A  Daughter Struggles For the Release of Her Distinguished Imprisoned Mother Who Had Earlier Protected Poorest People From Injustice 

A  Daughter Struggles For the Release of Her Distinguished Imprisoned Mother Who Had Earlier Protected Poorest People From Injustice 

Till some time back Sudha Bharadwaj was known to many friends and admirers as a public interest lawyer who had  protected many vulnerable and poor persons, particularly workers from injustice. She also taught law at prestigious institutions and was a source of inspiration for many of her students. How have conditions changed? Now her only daughter Maaysha has been moving[Read More…]

by 16/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Hany Babu Tested COVID Positive

Hany Babu Tested COVID Positive

Hany Babu, an undertrial prisoner in the Bhima Koregaon case, who has been in custody since July 2020 without trial has now been diagnosed as COVID Positive. Hany had developed an acute eye infection in Taloja Jail. He has little or no vision in his left eye due to the swelling, which has spread to the cheek, ear and forehead[Read More…]

by 13/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Plea for release of the Bhima Koregaon (BK) detainees during COVID-19 pandemic

Plea for release of the Bhima Koregaon (BK) detainees during COVID-19 pandemic

Family and friends of activists arrested in Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case write to Hon’ble Chief Minister, Maharashtra state for immediate release of the Bhima Koregaon under trial detainees in light of the threats posed to their life and health due to the raging Covid 19 pandemic. Letter attached. —————–Letter——————— Date: 11/05/21 To, The Honorable CM, Maharshtra Mr. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray,[Read More…]

by 12/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Hany Babu Suffering From Acute Eye Infection

Hany Babu Suffering From Acute Eye Infection

An Appeal to Chief Minister of Kerala Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan Sir, Please Intervene… To The Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala Dear Sir, We, the family members of Hany Babu M.T., who is the 12th person to be arrested in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case (NIA Case No. RC-02/2020/NIA/MUM), write to you in desperation and to bring to your kind attention[Read More…]

by 12/05/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Birthday Greetings, Dear Fr. Stan!

Birthday Greetings, Dear Fr. Stan!

  Dear Stan, It is rather unusual and certainly not normal to wish someone who is in prison “A Happy Birthday!” One’s birthday cannot be ‘happy’ in prison; however, in wishing you – we celebrate your life: your mission and your message and above all, those whom you have so closely identified with, all these years so “Birthday Greetings to[Read More…]

by 25/04/2021 1 comment Human Rights
Rally in support of Ambedkar’s grandson-in-law held outside Indian Visa and Passport Application Center

Rally in support of Ambedkar’s grandson-in-law held outside Indian Visa and Passport Application Center

Close to the first anniversary of the arrest of a renowned Indian scholar, members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) held a demonstration in Surrey on Sunday, April 18. Anand Teltumbde, a well-known author and columnist, was arrested last year on April 14 under trumped up charges for merely questioning the power and standing up for the poor and[Read More…]

by 19/04/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Fr Stan Swamy and the Ides of March

Fr Stan Swamy and the Ides of March

Sometime, just before Monday 22 March (the day the order in response to his bail application was scheduled to be pronounced), Fr. Stan Swamy sent a communication from the confines of the Taloja Prison where he has been incarcerated for near six months now. In that communication he said, “So, we await ‘the ides of March’” From the tone of[Read More…]

by 30/03/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy Case Must be Quashed in Light of Explosive Forensic Evidence

Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy Case Must be Quashed in Light of Explosive Forensic Evidence

Press Release after the webinar: Decoding the Arsenal Report: The Curious Case of Questionable evidence in Bhima Koregaon/Elgar Parishad case The NIA’s ’No Malware Found’ Response to New Forensic Report Points to Ineptitude: On February 10, 2021 the Bhima Koregaon defense team filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking the release of Rona Wilson and the quashing of[Read More…]

by 02/03/2021 Comments are Disabled India
Is India’s social justice paradigm under threat? Stories of Fr. Stan Swamy and Sudha Bharadwaj

Is India’s social justice paradigm under threat? Stories of Fr. Stan Swamy and Sudha Bharadwaj

In a letter written by Fr. Stan Swamy SJ, from the prison, said, “Dear friends: Peace! Though I do not have many details, from what I have heard, I am grateful to all of you for expressing your solidarity support. I am in a cell approximately 13 feet x 8 feet, along with two more inmates. It has a small[Read More…]

by 13/02/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Bhima Koregaon Case: Evidence planted in accused Rona Wilson’s computer

Bhima Koregaon Case: Evidence planted in accused Rona Wilson’s computer

Activist Rona Wilson’s computer was compromised for over 22 months before the Pune Police raided his home in New Delhi and arrested him as co-accused in Bhima Koregaon violence, claimed the Massachusetts-based digital forensics firm Arsenal Digital. The firm in its report said that the 10 letters used first by Pune Police and later the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as[Read More…]

by 11/02/2021 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
 Habeas-Corpus-Free Bail Resistant Multi-Year Detentions For Activists Like Sudhir Dhawale For No Crime

 Habeas-Corpus-Free Bail Resistant Multi-Year Detentions For Activists Like Sudhir Dhawale For No Crime

Written by Surabhi Agarwal, Sandeep Pandey and Kushagra Kumar Sudhir Dhawale, a writer, poet, artist, perennial protestor and a Dalit leader, was arrested and jailed in mid-2018. He remains in jail charged under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act  and assorted Indian Penal Codes accused of instigating violence at Bhima Koregaon event on 1 Jaunary, 2018. Ironically, the UAPA sections under which[Read More…]

by 29/12/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
The cost of voicing dissent: UAPA against G.N. Saibaba, Gautam Navlakha, Father Stan Swamy and others

The cost of voicing dissent: UAPA against G.N. Saibaba, Gautam Navlakha, Father Stan Swamy and others

In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor G. N. Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”[Read More…]

by 26/12/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Gautam Navlakha’s Dubious Distinction – Comparison With Hafiz Sayeed

Gautam Navlakha’s Dubious Distinction – Comparison With Hafiz Sayeed

Written by Priyanka Preet, Sandeep Pandey, Kushagra Kumar Gautam Navlakha is a famed author, civil rights activists, human rights activist, journalist, an Editorial Consultant at the Economic and Political Weekly, probably the most internationally well known social sciences journal published out of India, the Convenor of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir and the Secretary[Read More…]

by 23/12/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Surendra Gandling, Who used to get people acquitted in false cases has been implicated in one himself

Surendra Gandling, Who used to get people acquitted in false cases has been implicated in one himself

Written by Nilkantha Mandal, Sandeep Pandey and Kushagra Kumar All his life he fought valiantly to defend the rights of the people belonging to marginalized sections of society who were persecuted by the State or people who would stand up for their rights and consequently were targeted by the ruling elite but in the end he paid a price for[Read More…]

by 21/12/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Image by Priti Gulati Cox

JatiIndia: Atrocities Caste, Present and Future

The jingoist nation and nationalism have got weaponized by the political class to destroy dissent and polarize people. The mass frenzy has accomplished complete derationalization and inversion of meanings where destroyers of the nation become deshbhakts (patriots) and selfless servers of people become deshdrohis (traitors). As I see my India being ruined, it is with a feeble hope that I[Read More…]

by 13/12/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Why the demand for the release of intellectuals?

Why the demand for the release of intellectuals?

The intellectuals whose release we are demanding are those who have stood firm against the oppressive and communal attacks waged by the Modi government on Indian society. They have made huge sacrifices, and are now braving a life in prison but they have never shied away from their duty to speak truth to power and communicate this truth to the[Read More…]

by 12/12/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Crackdown on human rights defenders in India

Crackdown on human rights defenders in India

To Hon’ble Justice (Retd.) H.L. Dattu Chairperson National Human Rights Commission of India New Delhi Email: chairnhrc@nic.in   Cc Mr C. S. Mawri Assistant Registrar and Focal Point on Human Rights Defenders National Human Rights Commission of India New Delhi Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in   Re: Request to raise serious concerns over the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders in India Dear Justice (Retd.) Dattu,[Read More…]

by 27/11/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Mahesh Raut Needs To Be Free

Mahesh Raut Needs To Be Free

Co-Written by Surabhi Agarwal & Sandeep Pandey A compassionate human being, always popular among his friends and colleagues because of his friendly nature and human sensitivity, 33-year-old Mahesh Raut, champion of the democratic rights of the marginalised Adivasi people of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra has been in prison for over 2 years now. He was arrested in connection with the violence on[Read More…]

by 05/11/2020 1 comment Human Rights
City of Derby (UK) Against Caste Atrocities in India

City of Derby (UK) Against Caste Atrocities in India

Derby People are deeply alarmed at the news of a brutal gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in the district of Hatras in Uttar Pradesh. The alleged rape was carried out on 14 September 2020, by four upper-caste men who then left her for dead, with a cut to her tongue and injuries to her neck and[Read More…]

by 03/11/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Bhima Koregaon Case: A Critical Appraisal : Our Call – Free them All

Bhima Koregaon Case: A Critical Appraisal : Our Call – Free them All

Background to Bhima Koregaon Event The 1818 Battle of Koregaon is of importance for Dalits. On 1st January, 1818, 800 troops of the British Army, with large number of Mahars, Dalit Community of Maharashtra predominant among them, defeated a numerically superior force of the Peshwa Baji Rao II.  A victory pillar (Vijay Sthamb) was erected in Koregaon by the British, commemorating[Read More…]

by 27/10/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Stand With Stan: Release All Accused In The Bhima Koregaon Case

Stand With Stan: Release All Accused In The Bhima Koregaon Case

A webinar was organised with major initiative of Indian Christians for Democracy on 25th October, Sunday, 2020 from 11.00 to 1.00 pm. Dr. Fr. Prakash Louis the founder of the Indian Christians for Democracy forum initiated, planned and executed this webinar. Roselle Solomon and Ranjan Solomon hosted the webinar. Dr. John Dayal moderated the webinar. The objectives of the webinar[Read More…]

by 27/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Time to set up a Commission to look into cases of Political Trials

Time to set up a Commission to look into cases of Political Trials

It is good to see Jharkhand chief Minister Hemant Soren speaking so powerfully against the arrest of Father Stan Swamy. Many other voices are speaking against his arrest. The 81 year old Stan has been working in Jharkhand for years and has Center at Bagaicha has been a place for the Adivasis particularly those who have been victim of the[Read More…]

by 22/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
 Opposition Leaders, Civil Society denounce arrest of Stan Swamy  and other activists in Bhima Koregaon case

 Opposition Leaders, Civil Society denounce arrest of Stan Swamy  and other activists in Bhima Koregaon case

Introduction             PUCL organised a virtual Press Conference on 21st October, 2020 to condemn the illegal arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy of Jharkhand and 15 other activists in the Bhima Koregaon case. The Press Conference was to create a platform for different civil society groups and political parties to jointly condemn the brazen abuse of UAPA by the Central Government[Read More…]

by 21/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Punishing the Messengers of Justice

Punishing the Messengers of Justice

Standing for justice is bad news for the powers that be. That is why the arrest of the 83-year old Jesuit Stan Swamy had to come sometime because he has fought for justice all his life. But when it really came it shocked those who know him. It had to come because shooting the messenger of justice is basic to[Read More…]

by 20/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
 Release Father Stan Swamy

 Release Father Stan Swamy

Dear Rachael Maskell MP,  I am William Nicholas Gomes; I am your constituent and a human rights activist and freelance journalist. I am writing about the Indian Jesuit priest and human rights defender, Fr Stan Swamy SJ, who has been taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India for alleged Maoist links. Fr Stan is 83 years old[Read More…]

by 17/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Fear of the nation

Fear of the nation

The NIA probe in the Bhima Koregaon case has revealed that mass mobilization of militant Dalit and Muslim forces is happening against the government. ‘According to NIA, the documents seized from (Rona) Wilson mentioned that Dalits and Muslims must come together to build a major anti-fascist front in the Indian subcontinent as soon as possible.’ These documents are evidence against[Read More…]

by 17/10/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Release of all those arrested in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon case

Release of all those arrested in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon case

  CDRO is shocked to hear the news of the arrest of Father  Stan Swamy in connection with the infamous Bhima-Koregaon (BK) case. We note with disgust that Father Stan Swamy is the latest victim of the witch hunt operation carried out by the BJP-government in the name of BK case. It is a well-known fact today that the NIA,[Read More…]

Condemn the arrest of rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case!

Condemn the arrest of rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case!

On October 8th, a day before the deadline for filing the charge-sheet in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case elapsed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the 83-year-old Jesuit priest and veteran tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy. He was forcibly taken from Ranchi to Mumbai and produced before the Sessions Court on October 9th. Alongside this, the NIA presented a[Read More…]

by 13/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Arrest Most Foul

Arrest Most Foul

WSS is appalled at the arrest of Father Stan Swamy, an elderly Jesuit priest working on adivasi issues for the past 5 decades in the infamous Bhima Koregaon – Elgar Parishad conspiracy case on the night of 8 October, 2020.  WSS condemns this most recent arrest of a sterling activist and a reputed authority, and calls out the sheer absurdity[Read More…]

by 12/10/2020 Comments are Disabled India
PUCL Condemns the Detention and Arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy in Bhima Koregaon Case

PUCL Condemns the Detention and Arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy in Bhima Koregaon Case

PUCL is shocked by and condemns the detention and arrest by NIA police team of 83 year old Fr. Stan Swamy from his residence in Bagaicha, Ranchi to take him to Mumbai to be remanded in the Bhima Koregaon (BK) case for allegedly being part of the larger conspiracy to cause unrest. The inhuman and insincere act of the NIA[Read More…]

by 08/10/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Democracy in Higher Education, Social Justice and the Importance of Hany Babu

Democracy in Higher Education, Social Justice and the Importance of Hany Babu

We are going through one of the most dismal times in the history of post-independence India. Anyone who resists, anyone who speaks for the greater common good, for truth and justice, is getting hounded.  Hate campaigns are unleashed against them or they are implicated under fabricated charges and thrown into prison.  At present, it is extremely unfortunate that many academics,[Read More…]

by 08/10/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
“We are academics, not rabble-rousers”

“We are academics, not rabble-rousers”

 Hany Babu was my M.Phil supervisor from 2017-19 in the Department of English at Delhi University. I was working on conceptions of citizenship, broadly speaking. Whenever my analysis veered off into being too abstract or ahistorical, he invariably reminded me of the concreteness of the term and it’s efficacy. Yes, its efficacy; for him it was always a concept that[Read More…]

by 27/09/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
 Who is Arun Ferreira and why is he in Jail?

 Who is Arun Ferreira and why is he in Jail?

By Atul and Sandeep Pandey Arun Ferreira is a civil rights activist and human rights lawyer. He has been behind bars since June 6, 2018, when he was arrested in connection to the Bhima Koregaon event held earlier that year. Like many other activists, he was slapped with Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, sedition and other anti-terror related offenses allegedly for[Read More…]

by 26/09/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
In Solidarity with K. Satyanarayana

In Solidarity with K. Satyanarayana

We, the undersigned academics, journalists and concerned citizens strongly condemn the fresh round of harassment and arrests of academics and activists by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is trying to implicate them in the Bhima Koregaon case. After Partho Sarathi Ray, the NIA has now summoned Prof Satyanarayana and senior journalist KV Kurmanath to appear before it on 9[Read More…]

by 09/09/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Over a thousand scientists and academics express concern over NIA actions in Bhima-Koregaon case

Over a thousand scientists and academics express concern over NIA actions in Bhima-Koregaon case

We are members of the scientific and academic community. We are writing to express our deep concern at the actions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its investigation of the Bhima-Koregaon violence. Instead of investigating those responsible for the actual violent clashes in Bhima-Koregaon, the NIA (and earlier,  the Pune police) has focused on the Elgaar Parishad event—a large[Read More…]

by 09/09/2020 Comments are Disabled India
CDRO condemns the witch-hunt by the NIA and the choking of pro-people voices

CDRO condemns the witch-hunt by the NIA and the choking of pro-people voices

  After the arrests of leading public intellectuals like poet Varavara Rao, Prof. Soma Sen, Prof. Anand Teltumbde, Mr. Gautam Navlakha, Ms. Sudha Bharadwaj and others, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has trained its gun yet once again on democratic right activists, lawyers and other intellectuals. One of their latest targets is Prof. Parthosarathi Ray, a leading biologist of the country, an Associate[Read More…]

by 08/09/2020 Comments are Disabled India
Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap of Kabir Kala Manch Arrested In Bhima Koregaon case

Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor and Jyoti Jagtap of Kabir Kala Manch Arrested In Bhima Koregaon case

Sagar Gorkhe and Ramesh Gaichor of Kabir Kala Manch, have been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with Elgar Parishad – Bhima Koregaon case. Later today, NIA arrested Kabir Kala Manch activist Jyoti Jagtap in Bhima Koregaon case. With the arrest of Jyoti, the number of persons arrested in this case has risen to 15. Sagar Gorkhe[Read More…]

by 08/09/2020 Comments are Disabled India
In Solidarity With Dr Partho Sarothi Ray

In Solidarity With Dr Partho Sarothi Ray

We have come to know that our dear friend and comrade Dr Partho Sarothi Ray, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. He has been asked to present himself before the investigators in Mumbai on 10 September at 11am. Partho[Read More…]

by 07/09/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
 Rona Wilson: Who Worked For Release Of Political Prisoners Is Now A Victim

 Rona Wilson: Who Worked For Release Of Political Prisoners Is Now A Victim

Co-Written by Atul and Sandeep Pandey Rona Wilson is a prison rights activist who has been in jail since April 2018 and denied bail several times. The Pune Police raided his home in Delhi on April 17, 2018, and arrested him subsequently for his alleged role in the Bhima Koregaon violence in January that year. A few months later, the[Read More…]

by 29/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
2 Years of Unjust Incarceration | Free 12 activists arrested in ‘Bhima Koregan case’ | Arrest the real criminals ! Repeal UAPA

2 Years of Unjust Incarceration | Free 12 activists arrested in ‘Bhima Koregan case’ | Arrest the real criminals ! Repeal UAPA

 In India’s dark history of human rights violations, 28th August 2018 has become a very important day. On this day, Sudha Bharadwaj was arrested by Pune police from her home in Faridabad. On the same day, Gautam Navlakha from Delhi, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves from Mumbai and Varavara Rao from Hyderabad were also arrested. Although Gautam Navlakha was granted[Read More…]

by 28/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Organizations from All Over India Issue a call for a Protest Week, August 28 – September 5

Organizations from All Over India Issue a call for a Protest Week, August 28 – September 5

Over 70 organizations and several individuals from around the country endorsed the call initiated by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties to conduct protest actions from August 28 to September 5, considering the deterioration in Civil Liberties in the recent past. This call was given marking August 28 as the day when two years ago, 5 human rights activists –[Read More…]

by 28/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Social Activist and Academic Shoma Sen is In Jail On Flimsy Grounds and Must Be Released

Social Activist and Academic Shoma Sen is In Jail On Flimsy Grounds and Must Be Released

Shoma Sen was arrested on June 6, 2018, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for charges which include inciting violence, being involved in raising funds for the banned CPI (Maoist) party and harbouring its fugitive members. Prof Sen is a highly vocal and committed women’s rights activist who has been involved with a wide range of social and political causes.[Read More…]

by 27/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Friends and family of Sudha Bharadwaj raise serious concerns over her health condition and seek her early release on bail

Friends and family of Sudha Bharadwaj raise serious concerns over her health condition and seek her early release on bail

Keeping under trials in prison for two years deliberately stalling bail opportunities, with no effort for beginning the trial instead exposing them to serious health condition is a gross violation of rights of prisoners. This is further heightened in times of a global pandemic given the crowded situation in prisons. Sudha Bharadwaj has been incarcerated along with eleven others falsely[Read More…]

by 25/08/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Condemn NIA summons to Delhi University professors Dr. PK Vijayan and Rakesh Ranjan!

Condemn NIA summons to Delhi University professors Dr. PK Vijayan and Rakesh Ranjan!

Stop the witch-hunt of academics and activists in the name of Bhima Koregaon! Immediately release all political prisoners! The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) condemns the summons by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Dr. PK Vijayan and Rakesh Ranjan, faculty members in Delhi University, in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case yesterday. Following the recent arrest of Delhi[Read More…]

by 15/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Draconian Laws and Suppression of Dissidents

Draconian Laws and Suppression of Dissidents

To the world India is known as the largest democracy in the world. If you considered holding elections at regular interval as the only criteria of being a democracy you can give this tag. But, the dismal condition of freedom of speech and the right to dissent in the country is a real cause of concern for the activists and[Read More…]

by 12/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Commemorations of the Bhima Koregaon Battle Are a Reminder that Colonialism in India Predates the Arrival of the British

Commemorations of the Bhima Koregaon Battle Are a Reminder that Colonialism in India Predates the Arrival of the British

The Bhima Koregaon battle took place on 1 January 1818 between a contingent of the East India Company army mainly consisting of soldiers belonging to the Mahar caste (one of the many “untouchable” castes in India whose members are today known as Dalits) and the army of the Peshwas, who were the rulers of the Maratha confederacy. The Peshwa army[Read More…]

by 10/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Annihilate Caste
Condemn the raid on the house of Dr Hany Babu

Condemn the raid on the house of Dr Hany Babu

Press Statement by Committee for the Defence and Release of Dr G N Saibaba The Committee for the Defence and Release of G N Saibaba strongly condemns the unwarranted raid on 2nd August 2020 by officers of the National Intelligence Agency, on the house of Dr Hany Babu, a member of the Committee. Dr Babu was arrested on the 28th[Read More…]

by 04/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Release Prof. Hany Babu; Stop Vindictive Raids on his Family members

Release Prof. Hany Babu; Stop Vindictive Raids on his Family members

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) expresses its outrage and condemnation at the recent arrest of renowned linguist, Dr Hany Babu M. T., faculty member in Delhi University, by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). It shows once again the Indian State’s desperate and diabolic endevour to continuously silence intellectuals and criminalise those questioning its actions and holding different views,[Read More…]

by 03/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
DU Professor Hany Babu’s arrest: Media takes a blinkered view to the issue

DU Professor Hany Babu’s arrest: Media takes a blinkered view to the issue

The media – particularly Hindi newspapers – has taken a blinkered view to the arrest of Delhi University Professor Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil by National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Tuesday, July 28. The 54-year old English Professor is the 12th person to have been arrested in the Elgar Parishad case. The Elgar Parishad case is related to the Bhima Koregaon[Read More…]

by 02/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Uncategorized
Oppose and condemn the arbitrary, vindictive arrest of Prof. Hany Babu

Oppose and condemn the arbitrary, vindictive arrest of Prof. Hany Babu

Janhastakshep takes the serious note of, opposes and condemns the arbitrary and vindictive act of the government of India of arresting Prof. Hany Babu a popular teacher of Delhi University, latest in the process of arresting the academicians, litterateurs and intellectuals to stifle the voices of dissent and create an atmosphere of terror in the country. Hany Babu has been[Read More…]

by 01/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Statement by students in solidarity with Prof Hany Babu

Statement by students in solidarity with Prof Hany Babu

We, the undersigned former and current students of Prof Hany Babu M.T., condemn his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday and stand in firm solidarity with him. Prof. Babu is a noted academic, a well known anti-caste activist, and a member of the committee formed for the defence of G.N. Saibaba, a former Delhi University professor who[Read More…]

by 01/08/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
CDRO condemns the arrest of Delhi University Prof. Hany Babu

CDRO condemns the arrest of Delhi University Prof. Hany Babu

Co-Ordination of Democratic rights Organisations (CDRO) condemns the arrest of Delhi University Prof. HanyBabuand demands his immediate release after dropping the false charges levied against him. His arrest is part of the Modi’s Government attempt in silencing the dissent. Prof. HanyBabuis arrested by NIA  on 28thJuly2020 on the allegation that he was propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and was[Read More…]

by 30/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Human Rights Organisations Condemn The Arrest of Prof. Hany Babu

Human Rights Organisations Condemn The Arrest of Prof. Hany Babu

         The Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakhya Sangatan (GASS, Odisha) and Human Rights Forum (HRF, AP&Telangana) strongly deplore the arrest in Mumbai of Prof Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Prof Babu, who teaches at the Department of English, Delhi University was recently summoned to Mumbai by the NIA for questioning in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar[Read More…]

by 30/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Condemn the arbitrary arrest of Prof. Hany Babu!

Condemn the arbitrary arrest of Prof. Hany Babu!

Stop the witch-hunt of human rights defenders by the NIA! Immediately release all political prisoners! The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) condemns the arrest of Professor Hany Babu MT at Mumbai by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case. Despite the surging cases of COVID-19 in both Delhi and Mumbai, Prof. Babu of the[Read More…]

by 28/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Why Is The Hindustan Times Pimping For An Investigating Agency?

Why Is The Hindustan Times Pimping For An Investigating Agency?

  The PIL Watch Group views with serious concern the reporting in the print edition of Hindustan Times (HT) dated 25 July, 2020 (later uploaded on its website) regarding Gautam Navlakha’s interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) about Bhima Koregaon case. Questions arise: Was it a planted story in the HT as no other newspaper or news agency carried[Read More…]

by 26/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
The arrest and harassment of Sudha Bharadwaj – A People’s Advocate

The arrest and harassment of Sudha Bharadwaj – A People’s Advocate

Co-Written by Atul and Sandeep Pandey Professor Sudha Bharadwaj has been in jail since August 2018. She was taken into police custody on 26 August 2018 on suspicion of being involved in Maoist terror activities after Republic TV claimed that she had allegedly written a letter to Maoists and was conspiring to create public disorder and unrest in India. The[Read More…]

by 26/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia Calls for The Release of Varavara Rao

Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia Calls for The Release of Varavara Rao

We have watched with growing horror the treatment meted out to the 81 years old Revolutionary Poet, Varavara Rao by the Indian state. Varavara Rao has been incarcerated in Taloja jail in Mumbai for almost two years. According to the latest media reports and press conferences held by his family, Varavara Rao was exhibiting signs of serious illness, with the[Read More…]

by 18/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Release People’s Poet Varavara Rao & ensure his effective treatment

Release People’s Poet Varavara Rao & ensure his effective treatment

We, the Women Poets of Kerala condemn the unconstitutional custody of the people’s poet, Varavara Rao which has led to the situation of the poet becoming covid positive. We believe the case of his arrest to be groundless and against the norms of the constitution. Citizen groups and Human Rights activists of national and international repute has repeatedly reminded the[Read More…]

by 17/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Callous Disregard For The Health Of Varavara Rao Must Be Condemned! Release Him Immediately!

Callous Disregard For The Health Of Varavara Rao Must Be Condemned! Release Him Immediately!

   Release Varavara Rao immediately! Condemn the State’s blatant and callous disregard for the health of the 80-year-old revolutionary poet! Demand the release of all political prisoners! The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) demands the immediate release of the revolutionary poet Varavara Rao who has tested positive for COVID-19. As per information received by family members, Varavara Rao’s health has[Read More…]

by 16/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Varavara Rao tests positive for Covid 19! Release of All Political Prisoners Now!

Varavara Rao tests positive for Covid 19! Release of All Political Prisoners Now!

People’s Poet Varavara Rao has been shifted to the Saint George Hospital today after he tested positive for Coronavirus. The 80 year old poet has been jailed along with 10 others activists in a false case post the attacks at Bhima Koregaon in 2018. Varavara was taken from Taloja jail to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital on 13th July 2020 after he[Read More…]

by 16/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Pray for Bachchan But Free The People’s Poet Varavara Rao

Pray for Bachchan But Free The People’s Poet Varavara Rao

Ever since the Bollywood star tested positive for COVID 19, the social media is flooded with messages for his speedy recovery. Amitabh Bachchan and three generations of his family, including son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, and their eight-year-old daughter, were tested positive. This has obviously alarmed their fan following, as husband and wife too, like the family patriarch, have[Read More…]

by 14/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
PUCL Demands immediate transfer of Varavara Rao to specialised Hospital!

PUCL Demands immediate transfer of Varavara Rao to specialised Hospital!

Vara Vara Rao is a nationally renowned Telugu poet and intellectual who has been incarcerated since August, 2018 in the Bhima Koregaon case. He is considered one of the best critics in Telugu literature and has taught Telugu literature to undergraduate and graduate students for about 40 years. He founded Srujana (creation), a forum for modern literature in Telugu in[Read More…]

by 13/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Romila Thapar And Others Appeal For Prompt Treatment For Varavara Rao

Romila Thapar And Others Appeal For Prompt Treatment For Varavara Rao

According to press reports and the statement of his family, the renowned Telugu poet and writer, P. Varavara Rao is extremely ill in Taloja jail. He is suffering from low levels of sodium and potassium as diagnosed by the JJ Hospital, Mumbai, where his treatment was abruptly terminated and he was taken back to Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai. This[Read More…]

by 12/07/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Don’t Kill Varavara Rao in Jail!

Don’t Kill Varavara Rao in Jail!

We, the family members of Varavara Rao, world-renowned Telugu revolutionary poet and public intellectual, who is incarcerated in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja Jail, are very much worried about his deteriorating health. His health condition has been scary for over six weeks now, ever since he was shifted in an unconscious state to JJ Hospital from Taloja Jail on May 28, 2020.[Read More…]

by 12/07/2020 2 comments Human Rights
40 Poets seek immediate release of Varavara Rao

40 Poets seek immediate release of Varavara Rao

Eminent poets from all parts of the country including Gulzar have sought the immediate release of Varavara Rao, imprisoned in Maharashtra as an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. In a representation submitted to Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi, the poets sought the release of the 80-year old Rao in view of the health emergency in the country on account[Read More…]

by 15/04/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha Surrender: A Blot On Democracy

Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha Surrender: A Blot On Democracy

Protest against the fascist onslaught on democratic rights activists and curbing of democracy On 14th April,2020, Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha surrendered and were arrested by the NIA, pursuant to order of the Supreme Court rejecting interim protection. This order paved the way for the arrest of two more scholars under the draconian laws for their exercise of the right[Read More…]

by 14/04/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Anand Teltumbde’s Letter To The People Of India Before His Imminent Arrest

Anand Teltumbde’s Letter To The People Of India Before His Imminent Arrest

Open letter to the People of India I am aware this may be completely drowned in the motivated cacophony of the BJP-RSS combine and the subservient media but I still think it may be worth talking to you as I do not know whether I would get another opportunity. Since August 2018, when the police raided my house in faculty[Read More…]

by 13/04/2020 2 comments Human Rights
Dr Anand Teltumbde’s Arrest On Ambedkar Jayanti: A National Shame

Dr Anand Teltumbde’s Arrest On Ambedkar Jayanti: A National Shame

Jai Bhim! Coinciding with the upcoming Ambedkar Jayanti, Dr. Anand Teltumbde, one of India’s foremost public intellectuals and the strongest legatee of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s tradition of struggling for a truly democratic India, will be complying with the Supreme Court’s order to surrender to the jail authorities. He will be surrendering on the 14th April 2020, between 12 noon – 2[Read More…]

by 13/04/2020 6 comments Human Rights
Condemn the Supreme Court’s denial of relief from arrest for Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

Condemn the Supreme Court’s denial of relief from arrest for Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

Stand in solidarity with all voices for peoples’ rights and democracy! Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) demands the immediate release of all political prisoners! On March 16th 2020, the Supreme Court of India rejected the anticipatory bail plea of civil rights activists, Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, asking them to surrender by April 6th 2020. The review petition heard[Read More…]

UK Rights Organisations condemn the imminent arrest of  Prof Dr Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

UK Rights Organisations condemn the imminent arrest of  Prof Dr Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

Demand prompt release of all political and democratic rights activists in Indian jail The police in the State of Maharashtra, India, acting at the behest of the central BJP Hindutva government, is forcing the arrest of Professor Dr Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha under August 2018 fabricated charges, accusing them of involvement in violence that occurred at Bhima Koregaon on[Read More…]

by 08/04/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Condemn the impending arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde

Condemn the impending arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde

 All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) organised a virtual press conference on 6th April 2020 to register its strongest condemnation of the impending arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde, Member Presidium of AIFRTE and Senior Professor and Chair Big Data Analysis, Goa Institute of Management, on April 6, 2020. The Supreme Court had denied him anticipatory bail on the[Read More…]

by 07/04/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
IITs and IIM Ahmedabad Fraternity Stand with ‘Role Model’ Dr. Anand Teltumbde

IITs and IIM Ahmedabad Fraternity Stand with ‘Role Model’ Dr. Anand Teltumbde

At the time of writing this article, more than 670 students, researchers, faculty and alumni of the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad and IITs pan-India, in their individual capacities, have expressed their solidarity with Dr. Anand Teltumbde. They have requested the President to intervene for dropping all charges against Dr. Teltumbde, who has been asked to surrender by 6th April, 2020. This[Read More…]

by 06/04/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Ambedkarite Engineers Body express solidarity with Dr Anand Teltumbde

Ambedkarite Engineers Body express solidarity with Dr Anand Teltumbde

We the members of Babasaheb Ambedkar National Association of Engineers express our deepest shock and anguish over the rejection of the anticipatory bail application of one of the founders and ex-president of our Association, Dr Anand Teltumbde. We were shocked right from the day his name was linked by the Police in what by now clearly appears as the concocted[Read More…]

by 04/04/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
IIM Ahmedabad community Statement of Solidarity and Appeal to Acquit Prof. Anand Teltumbde

IIM Ahmedabad community Statement of Solidarity and Appeal to Acquit Prof. Anand Teltumbde

Over 280 students, faculties and alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) have signed statements in solidarity with their illustrious alumnus, Anand Teltumbde who apart from being corporate leader and teacher has done so much to the society.  Teltumbde is expected to surrender himself by April 6 in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict. We, as part of the[Read More…]

by 04/04/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Arrest of Anand Teltumbde Creates a Piece of History

Arrest of Anand Teltumbde Creates a Piece of History

Co-Written by Anirban Goswami & Anupam Bannerjee The first IIM Ahmedabad Alumnus, the first IIT, Professor, the first Corporate CEO to be arrested for Political Crime Professor Anand Teltumbde, when he surrenders on 6 April 2020 as per the Supreme Court directions, will be the first alumnus of the hallowed IIM, Ahmedabad, the first IIT, Professor; and the first CEO[Read More…]

by 01/04/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Arundhati Roy And Other Prominent Writers And Activists Express Solidarity With Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

Arundhati Roy And Other Prominent Writers And Activists Express Solidarity With Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

In August 2018, the Pune Police implicated Prof. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha with other human right activists and lawyers in the now-infamous fabricated Elgar Parishad case. The police presented concocted theories since day one and these theories have not an iota of truth in them. Although the judiciary granted interim protection to Prof. Anand and Gautam, the supreme court[Read More…]

by 23/03/2020 1 comment Human Rights
The Impending Arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde Is Undemocratic

The Impending Arrest of Prof. Anand Teltumbde Is Undemocratic

AIFRTE Statement on Supreme Court’s rejection of anticipatory bail to Prof. Anand Teltumbde AIFRTE is shocked, outraged and deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s rejection of anticipatory bail to its Presidium member Prof. Anand Teltumbde, an IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, IIT Professor, and currently Senior Professor and Chair, Big Data Analytics at Goa Institute of Management (GIM). Prof Teltumbde is also a[Read More…]

by 22/03/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Denying Interim Bail To Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha Is Alarming

Denying Interim Bail To Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha Is Alarming

Statement by MRSD on Supreme Court’s rejection of pre-arrest bail plea of Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon violence case Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy (MRSD) is deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s rejection of the plea by Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha seeking anticipatory bail in the cases registered against them in relation to the violence[Read More…]

by 18/03/2020 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Light Will Get In ! Writes Gautam Navlakha As He Readies Himself To Surrender

Light Will Get In ! Writes Gautam Navlakha As He Readies Himself To Surrender

As the Supreme Court allows the government to incarcerate and silence two more voices Gautam Nawlakha and Anand Teltumbde that dared to speak out against its excesses Gautam Nawlakha one of the alleged “urban naxals” sends out a message…….. I thank Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah of the Supreme Court for giving me three weeks to surrender before the[Read More…]

by 17/03/2020 1 comment Human Rights
Stop the McCarthy style witch hunt of Academics and Human Rights Defenders!

Stop the McCarthy style witch hunt of Academics and Human Rights Defenders!

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemns the raid on DU professor, Dr Hany Babu’s residence in Noida, Delhi, by the Pune police earlier today (10 September 2019). The unending trial of democracy and unremitting assault on the Constitution and rule of law, in the name of Bhima-Koregaon, and the McCarthy-style With-hunt and victimisation of constitutionally minded academics and[Read More…]

PUCL Condemns the arrest of public intellectuals

PUCL Condemns the arrest of public intellectuals

PUCL STRONGLY Condemns and denounces THE ARRESTs under the draconian UAPA OF – Sudha Bharadwaj, PUCL National Secretary Gautam Navalakha of PUDR, Prof. Anand Teltumbde of CPDR, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, advocates, and Vara Vara Rao, noted poet and rights activist. PUCL also denounces the simultaneous multi-city raids conducted today, 28th August 2018 in a concerted and pre-meditated manner[Read More…]

by 30/08/2018 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Dr Anand Teltumbde’s Statement on the Police Acton against him on 28 August 2018

Dr Anand Teltumbde’s Statement on the Police Acton against him on 28 August 2018

I had just woken up somewhat late, tired of late night arrival of the flight. Just saw missed calls from Prof Ajit Parulekar, who is a colleague and director of Goa Institute of Management where I work a Senior Professor and Chair, Big Data Analytics. He shocked me by informing that the Pune Police accompanied by Goa Police entered the[Read More…]

by 30/08/2018 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
IAPI condemns the arrests of five political activists in India

IAPI condemns the arrests of five political activists in India

The members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India have unanimously condemned the arrests of five political activists in India. In all, ten resolutions were passed at the emergency meeting of the IAPI in Delta on Tuesday evening, August 28. One of the resolutions condemned the arrests of political activists and raids on the houses of others across India. Those arrested[Read More…]

by 30/08/2018 Comments are Disabled Human Rights
Joint Statement condemning arrest of activists and public intellectuals

Joint Statement condemning arrest of activists and public intellectuals

We, the undersigned, are shocked by the serial raids across the country on the homes of activists and public intellectuals who are critical of the government and the ruling party at the Centre. The arrests of prominent activists and intellectuals Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Gautam Navlakha, Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Kranthi Tekula and others, are nothing but an attempt by[Read More…]

by 30/08/2018 3 comments Human Rights
On the ‘Urban Maoists’

On the ‘Urban Maoists’

Even in these times of growing sense of hopelessness in the country under the present regime, the arrests of the five activists by Maharashtra’s Pune Police had stunned people all over the world by the blatancy of misuse of power and impunity it reflects. The continuing spate of condemnation by scores of people within and outside India would not affect[Read More…]

by 11/07/2018 2 comments Human Rights
Bhima Koregaon violence: Shifting narrative and fading public memory as 2019 approaches

Bhima Koregaon violence: Shifting narrative and fading public memory as 2019 approaches

On June 6, many of us who knew one or few of the five people arrested, supposedly in connection with the ‘violence’ at Bhima Koregaon, woke up with hasty messages of unexpectedarrests. I received a message that Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale was ‘picked up’ and had been taken to the Govandi police station in Mumbai. A huge crowd gathered outside[Read More…]

by 27/06/2018 2 comments Human Rights
Credit: https://drambedkarbooks.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/992856_10153522442034652_4242881516948850527_n.jpg?w=555&h=389

Dalit Social Memories: Countering In Their Own Way 

Since social memory and myth are used as tools of social dominance, they have a very significant role in politics of assertion. Different sections of society have diverse kinds of memories and myths related to their caste and prescribed indentures, sentimental remembrance of their past as well as their ancestors’ tales of heroic deeds. These social reminiscences have been manipulated[Read More…]

by 01/02/2018 1 comment Annihilate Caste
Bhima Koregaon Incident And Rightwing Propaganda

Bhima Koregaon Incident And Rightwing Propaganda

Recently, there was violence in Maharashtra on 1st January 2018 as persons carrying saffron flags attacked people at Bhima Koregaon. In the violence a person died, many injured and vehicles were damaged. The propaganda by rightwing media is to attribute the violence to ‘instigating speeches’ by younger activists who had gathered. The saffron attempt at depicting violence in Bhima Koregaon[Read More…]

by 21/01/2018 1 comment Annihilate Caste
Bhima-Koregaon And Continuing Atrocities Against Dalits And Minorities: Open Letter To Prime Minister Of India

Bhima-Koregaon And Continuing Atrocities Against Dalits And Minorities: Open Letter To Prime Minister Of India

Open letter to Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India 200 ANNIVERSAY OF THE BATTLE OF BHIMA- KOREGAON AND CONTINUING ATROCITIES AGAINST DALITS AND MINORITIES IN INDIA This open letter by UK organisations listed at the end call on you, the Prime minster of India, to take action against the perpetrators of violence against Dalits. We also call on you[Read More…]

by 21/01/2018 1 comment Annihilate Caste
What Really Happened In Bhima Koregaon – Fact Finding Report

What Really Happened In Bhima Koregaon – Fact Finding Report

On January 1, 2018, thousands of Dalit families that had gathered at Bhima Koregaon to pay homage to the Dalit Mahar martyrs of the Anglo-Maratha war of 1818, were targeted and attacked by members of extreme right wing Hindutva groups. The saffron goons not only pelted the Dalit gathering, where there were thousands of women and children, with large stones,[Read More…]

by 15/01/2018 1 comment Annihilate Caste
​Zainul Abedin's Painting, 1971

Dalit Resistance And Violence

From past few days we have been witnessing on our television channels or social media news portals debating over just and unjust forms of protest. But the moot able theme that underlies all these debates and news reporting is how we construe, what is Resistance? And what is Violence? A common dictionary meaning of Resistance is: the act or power[Read More…]

by 06/01/2018 3 comments Annihilate Caste
Bhima Koregoan – The Latest Battlefield Of Dalit Resistance

Bhima Koregoan – The Latest Battlefield Of Dalit Resistance

The incidences of Bhima Koregoan have come up as yet another battleground of Dalits’ liberation movement against a Hindutva fascist state run by caste system. The incidences and the videos have been rolling around is just shocking. The symbol of yester-century’s valiant and brave battle and victory over the atrocious ruling Peshwas by a small unit of 500 Dalits (Mahar’s),[Read More…]

by 06/01/2018 3 comments Annihilate Caste
Bhima Koregaon—One History, Two Hundred Years Apart

Bhima Koregaon—One History, Two Hundred Years Apart

Whether we are aware of it or not, we stand to witness now what will be history tomorrow. A history that will do its provenance proud, in fact, leaving it a lot more glorious. Even the xenophobic right who asked for this new chapter in the first place, are left with no ‘foreign conspiracy’ theory to tout. For ‘Bhima Koregaon[Read More…]

by 05/01/2018 4 comments Annihilate Caste
Photo Credit: Hindustan Times

Understanding Bhima Koregaon Celebrations And The Subsequent Violence Unleashed Upon Dalits

Ambedkarites are agitated all over the country as the despicable attempts of the Hindutva affiliated organisations in Pune attacked the massive assembly of people who had come to pay their respect to 800 brave Mahar soldiers who with the help of British had defeated the then powerful army of the Peshwas which numbered around 30,000  at the battle of Bhima[Read More…]

by 03/01/2018 4 comments Annihilate Caste
Credit: https://drambedkarbooks.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/992856_10153522442034652_4242881516948850527_n.jpg?w=555&h=389

The Pot, Broom And Battle of Koregaon:Its Significance And The Rattling Rhetoric

The Bicentennial celebration “Elgaar Parishad” of the Battle Koregaon by the Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Bahujans, both by organizations and individuals, at the Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, followed by a march toward Bhima Koregaon 40 km from Pune, have seen opposition from the right-wing organisations. These organizations had the audacity to call the event, and the organizations[Read More…]

by 30/12/2017 7 comments Annihilate Caste