Condemn the Illegal detention of Democratic Activists in Punjab

Forum Against War on People

Delhi

Convenors: SAR Geelani, G N Saibaba, Mrigank Email: stopwaroncitizens@gmail.com

Condemn the Illegal detention of Democratic Activists in Punjab
Raising Voice Against Government’s War (Operation Green Hunt) on Adivasis is a Democratic Right of the People

Press Statement

Gurmeet Singh Juj, a Punjabi writer and cultural activist of All India League for Revolutionary Culture, AILRC and a State Committee member of 'Democratic Front Against Operation Green Hunt, Punjab', and three other persons Harbans Singh, Satish and Raju (all are progressive social activists) were taken into police custody in Ferozepur on 11.10.2010. The police did not inform anyone, about the case or FIR under which they has been arrested or where they have been kept during detention.

After a lot of running around finally Gurmeet Singh’s wife and friends were able to find out that he was being detained in the CIA Staff Police Station. Some police officials told them that he is to be interrogated by the Central Govt's Intelligence Bureau & Punjab CID officials from Chandigarh about his political views and his activities against Operation Green Hunt. This is clearly another assault on the democratic movement and extension of Operation Green Hunt to the urban areas. The arrests need to be strongly condemned. It is also an attempt to terrorize the intellectuals, to keep them away from supporting the struggles of the people against neo-liberal policies of the rulers.

The Punjab police have arrested these activists with a view to disturb a convention against Operation Green Hunt scheduled for the next week in Jalandhar. The police may torture Gurmeet Singh Juj and implicate him in some false cases. All the democratic and progressive forces should raise voice against these illegal arrests.

We from the Forum Against War on People, Delhi strongly condemn the arrest of the cultural activists who have been consistently raising their democratic voice against the military operation on the people of Central and Eastern India code named Operation Green Hunt with a view to hand over people’s land and mineral resources to the big corporate houses. We demand that the arrested activists should be released immediately and unconditionally, and no false cases should be foisted on them.

Convenors

Forum against War on People

SAR Geelani 9810081228

G N Saibaba 8860383834

Mrigank 9268708291

12 October 2010



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G N SAIBABA