Oppose the arbitrary arrest of Intellectuals, Dalits and Democratic Rights Activists in India : Statement from the Central Organising Committee Indian Workers Association (GB)

Statement from the 
Central Organising Committee
Indian Workers Association (GB)

Oppose the arbitrary arrest of Intellectuals, Dalits and Democratic Rights Activists in India

We the Indian Workers’ Association, Great Britain, condemn the raids on homes of nine human and democratic rights activists across India, on 28th August 2018. 

Amongst the people on whom the raids were conducted include Anand Teltumbde, Stan Swamy, Kranti Teluka and Prof K Satyanarayana. These raids also include Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves, all five are now under arrest charged, under one of the most draconian law the UAPA (Unlawful Activity Prevention Act). 

This is one of the most barbaric law, copied from the colonial law book, which allows an indefinite detention (arrest) of any citizen the Government suspects of having an intent to commit a crime against the State. 

There are many other such laws on the Indian statute, e.g. NSA under which Chandrashekar Azad Ravan, leader of the Bhim Army has been languishing in jail for over a year. These laws must be repealed; they have no place in a democracy.

These raids and arrests follow on from the arbitrary arrests, a few months back, of Sudhir Dhawale, Adv Surendra Gadling, Prof Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson. These five are lawyers, journalist, human rights activists who have been implicated in totally fabricated charges of organising the violence in Bhima Koregaon at the beginning of this year. 

The reality of that incident is being completely overlooked, by the law enforcement authorities, and no investigation is being conducted that leads to the trail of Hindutava instigated violence against the annual peaceful demonstration by the Dalits, marking the victory scored by Marathas against the Peshawar in 1818.

These most recent raids and arrests add to the continued relentless repression, by the Indian Government, on the democratic voice and aspirations of the Indian. This amounts to a very serious attack on the already crumbling state of democracy in India. 

This could lead to an irreversible phase of fascist rule for many years to come. We appeal to all democratic organisations across India to put aside their differences and unite in the most important endeavour, the need of the hour, that lies before them: 

• Condemn intimidation and arrests of human rights activists and intellectuals by the Indian State!

• Defeat the Manivadi Hindutva fascist rule of the BJP & RSS!

• Build unity amongst Adivasis, Dalits and religious minorities and struggles for their rights!

Central Organising Committee
Indian Workers Association Great Britain
iwagb1938@hotmail.com