In this issue of the IndiaMatters UK newsletter
Unlawful Arrests – Why? ……………………………. 1
On 28 August 2018, five well-known lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders in India were arrested under anti-terror laws. Prominent citizens in India have protested including renowned historian Ramachandra Guha who described the arrests as a ‘witch-hunt’ and ‘illegal misuse of police and state power‘ with ‘utterly fabricated’ charges. UN human rights experts have expressed concerns saying that the terrorism charges are a pretext to silence human rights defenders. A similar wave of arrests of academics, lawyers and activists also took place in June this year…
About IMUK ……………………………. 2
Sudha Bhardwaj: Is she a terroist, a plotter to kill Modi? …………………………….. 3
We revisit Sudha Bhardwaj’s activities for the past 30 years and see if she fits the description of a terrorist ‘urban Maoist’ elaborated by Mr Modi himself…
Bhima Koregaon and Urban Maoists in India …… 4
The entire exercise is to silence dissent, stop people from helping the downtrodden and marginalised people across the Nation and to instill fear in minds of people..
Incredible India …………………………….. 6
In Chhattisgarh and adjoining states, hills and forests have been destroyed to extract coal, iron, bauxite and other minerals; indigenous populations living there have been forcibly displaced. They say, ‘we will fight to save our rivers, forests and lands’…
Protests in India & abroad ……………………………… 7
A selection of photos and brief reports from protests in solidarity with the arrested human rights defenders from around the world…
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And just a couple more updates:
Sedition Charges
Months after booking them for their alleged links with Maoists, the Pune police have pressed sedition charges against Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, and Gautam Navlakha, saying their activities posed danger to the unity of the country.
Indian state election results – the semifinals
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) losing power in three Hindi-heartland states–Madhya Pradesh (MP), Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh–the population under BJP rule has dropped by 254 million, from nearly 888 million (71% of India’s population) in 2017 to nearly 634 million (51% of the population) in December 2018. Significant advances for congress.
What, if any, changes for the ongoing human rights situation does this signal and are there reasons to be optimistic?
IndiaMatters UK 