Outraged over the arrest of several prominent activists across five states, as part of the probe into the Bhima Koregaon violence, a number of political leaders, noted lawyers, academics, authors, human rights defenders has termed the action as a 'virtual declaration of emergency' in the run-up to elections.
P Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Sudha Bhardwaj and her daughter Anu Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves were detained by the police on Tuesday for their suspected Maoist links. The arrest took place after police conducted multiple raids across five states in Maharashtra, Goa, Telangana, Delhi and Jharkhand as part of the probe into the violence at Maharashtra's Koregaon Bhima village following an event held in Pune in 2017.
Most of the activists will be produced in the court on Wednesday.
Reacting to the house arrest of Sudha Bharadwaj, her lawyer said, "The matter will once again be taken up before the Chandigarh High Court after three days. Still, the Pune police arrested her, it's a complete violation of the order of the High Court. Her transit bail application was dismissed. We had informed the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) that the Chandigarh HIgh Court has intervened and passed an interim order that Pune police won't take her under custody and she'll be under house arrest for 3 days."
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said, "I understand from Sudha Bharadwaj's lawyer Vrinda Grover, that despite the order of the Punjab & Haryana High Court staying Sudha bhardwaj's transit remand, the Mah police is still insisting on it in the Magistrate's court in Faridabad&even her lawyers are not being allowed there!"
Several leaders have criticised the arrest of the activists. Taking a dig, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said there was place for only one NGO in "the new India" and it was the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). "Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain," he tweeted.
CPI(M) party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, "The CPI(M) strongly condemns the raids conducted by police authorities on the homes of several civil rights, human rights and Left intellectuals. This is a blatant attack on democratic rights. This is not acceptable and is one of the most authoritarian moves by the present government. This is an emergency."
He added, “Those who sympathised with the dalits were picked up but those who are guilty and were engaged in violence are roaming freely. Ever since the Bhima Koregoan violence against dalits began, the Maharashtra Police along with central agencies have been targeting dalit rights activists and lawyers who have been taking up their cases. The activists have been arrested under the UAPA charges. This is not justified. CPI(M) demands immediate release of all these activists.”
Historian Ramachandra Guha called the action "absolutely chilling" and demanded the Supreme Court's intervention to stop this "persecution and harassment" of independent voices.
"Sudha Bharadwaj is as far from violence and illegality as Amit Shah is close to those things," tweeted Guha, adding if Mahatma Gandhi was alive, he would have defended Bharadwaj.
"As a biographer of Gandhi, I have no doubt that if the Mahatma was alive today, he would don his lawyer's robes and defend Sudha Bharadwaj in court; that is assuming the Modi Sarkar hadn't yet detained and arrested him too," he tweeted.
Author Arundhati Roy said, "In the run up to elections, it is an attempted coup against the Indian Constitution and all the freedoms that we cherish". Roy said, "The simultaneous state-wide arrests are a dangerous sign of a government that fears it is losing its mandate and is falling into panic."
"That lawyers, poets, writers, Dalit rights activists and intellectuals are being arrested on ludicrous charges... While those who make up lynch mobs and threaten and murder people in broad daylight roam free, tells us very clearly where India is headed," she said.
Roy alleged that "murderers are being honoured and protected" and anybody who speaks up for justice or against Hindu majoritarianism is being made into a criminal.
She said it was as close to declaration of an emergency as it can get.
Another activist Kavita Krishnan also described the action as "undeclared emergency".
Several activists said it was like an undeclared emergency when the rights defenders and dissenters are being raided, arrested, jailed and even killed.
According to unconfirmed reports, raids were also carried out at residences of several other activists including Susan Abraham, Kranthi Tekula, Father Stan Swamy in Ranchi and Anand Teltumbde in Goa.
Condemning the police action, the CPI(M) accused the BJP-led government of "attacking the democratic rights of people" to shield the real culprits of Koregaon-Bhima violence.
Congress spokesperson Jaipal Reddy condemned the raids and arrests and said, "They are selfless NGOs, activists who are obliged to fight the enveloping darkness of dictatorial tendencies."
In a statement, the PUCL said, "Such systematic and pre-meditated crackdown on human rights activists is unprecedented and unheard of in a democracy."
Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan said, "Fascist fangs are now openly bared. It is a clear declaration of emergency. They are going after anyone who has spoken against the government on rights issues. They are against any dissent.
Amnesty International and several other groups including People's Union for Civil Liberties called the action a concerted attempt to crush human rights interventions and to silence voices of dissent.
Senior CPM leader Prakash Karat said, "These constitute a brazen attack on democratic rights and civil liberties. The CPI-M demands withdrawal of the cases against these activists and their immediate release." A statement from the CPM read, "Ever since the Bhima Koregoan violence against Dalits, the Maharashtra Police along with central agencies has been targeting Dalit rights activists and lawyers who have been taking up their cases."
The government must take action against culprits but its steps should not be politically motivated, said the Maharashtra Congress. "Truth must come out before the people. The government must go to the root of the issue. Culprits, if there are any, should be caught. But the action should not be politically motivated," said Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant.
