Condemn the arrest and persecution of human rights activists

Statement of the CC of the CGPI, August 29, 2018

In a coordinated operation on August 28, the Pune police launched simultaneous raids in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Goa and Hyderabad, on the homes of several persons known to be working for the rights of the dispossessed, including trade union activists, lawyers, writers, poets and priests. Five well-known human rights activists have been arrested – Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira – on trumped up charges of “instigating violence” following a Dalit rally at Bhima Koregaon on 1st January 2018. They have been arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The government is carrying out a disinformation campaign through sections of the monopoly controlled media, linking these activists with an alleged plot to kill top leaders of the government.

Statement of the CC of the CGPI, August 29, 2018

In a coordinated operation on August 28, the Pune police launched simultaneous raids in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Goa and Hyderabad, on the homes of several persons known to be working for the rights of the dispossessed, including trade union activists, lawyers, writers, poets and priests. Five well-known human rights activists have been arrested – Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira – on trumped up charges of “instigating violence” following a Dalit rally at Bhima Koregaon on 1st January 2018. They have been arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The government is carrying out a disinformation campaign through sections of the monopoly controlled media, linking these activists with an alleged plot to kill top leaders of the government.

The Communist Ghadar Party of India condemns the Indian state for the arrests of these trade union leaders, lawyers and writers.

These attacks are taking place at a time when the opposition of workers, peasants, adivasis, women and youth to their unbridled exploitation and the rapacious plunder of the rich mineral resources of our country by the corporate monopolies is mounting.

All the five arrested persons are known for their work in defence of the rights of workers, peasants, tribals, victims of state-organised caste and communal violence, army and state violence. They have been working to expose and oppose the efforts of the state, at the behest of the big capitalist monopolies, to systematically terrorize the adivasi communities in order to grab their land, forest and mineral resources and hand them over to the big corporate houses. They have been exposing and opposing the targeting of people on the basis of religion, caste or community. They have been opposing and exposing all forms of state terrorism.

Earlier this year, on 6th June, the Pune police had arrested five human rights activists – Professor Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut, Sudhir Dhawale and Surendra Gadling – under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on similar charges.

Those who are fighting in defence of the rights of workers, peasants, tribal peoples and victims of caste oppression are all being treated by the Indian State as criminal “anti-national” elements. Those who expose and oppose all manifestations of state terrorism and uphold the rights of the people are being arrested on concocted charges.

The raids, arrests and disinformation campaign have the sinister aim of terrorizing the broad masses of people into giving up the struggle for their rights. Creating a climate of anarchy, violence and terror has become the preferred method to divert the working class and people and to prevent them from uniting against the monopoly capitalists and the governments in their service.

The arrests of the five activists on trumped up charges, deserves to be condemned by all progressive and democratic forces in the country.

The situation calls upon all political forces concerned about the future of our people to unite and fight against state terrorism, in defence of human rights and democratic rights, including national rights.

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