Skip to main content

Senior Gandhian, two others detained in Gujarat as Modi began summit with tycoons at Mahatma Mandir

Indukumar Jani
By Our Representative
In shocking incident, three veteran civil rights activists – Gandhian and editor of the periodical “Naya Marg" Indukumar Jani, senior economist Rohit Shukla, and Gautam Thakar, general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) -- were detained for the whole day on January 11, when the high profile Vibrant Gujarat Investors' summit took off in Gujarat capital, Gandhinagar. The trio were mysteriously picked up from near the Passport Office, around the time when they had just begun to drive to Adalaj circle, on way to Gandhinagar, about 25 kilometres away.
“We were on our way to the farmers' protest meet, which was to take place at Adalaj circle”, Thaker told Counterview, adding, “Indukumar Jani was driving the car. He was pushed out, and was asked to sit in the back. The police took control of the car, and drove us to the Gaekwad Haveli, the police crime branch office, as if we were criminals. No formal reason was given, though informally the cops told us that we were the brains behind the protest, lest farmers – whose brains equaled that of buffaloes – wouldn't even think of protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Picked up at around 9.00 am, and “let off” at 6.00 pm, interestingly, the three are known even among NGO circles as “most harmless individuals”. A statement by prominent citizens, informing media about the detention, said, their mobiles were confiscated, adding, the illegal detention without specifying any rhyme or reason was a clear indication of the type of authoritarian rule India will soon be witnessing. “They were detained despite the fact that we had no direct relation with the farmers' movement. We were proceeding to the spot only give moral support to the protest”, the statement said.
Among those who have signed the statement include former BJP chief minister Suresh Mehta, well-known human rights lawyer Girish Patel, senior critic and litterateur Prakash N Shah, human rights activist Rajni Dave, environmental expert Mahesh Pandya, Jesuit human rights activist Father Cedric Prakash, Dwarkanath Rath of Lok Andolan Gujarat, Jimmy Dabhi of Human Development and Research Centre, and Ahmedabad Women's Action Group's Sara Baldiwala.
Ex-Congress veteran and Gujarat Khedut Samaj leader Sanat Mehta taking
nap on lawn on being detained at Sector 27 dy SP's office in Gandhinagar
In a separate statement, farmers' leader Sagar Rabari of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, one of the three organisations which were behind the farmers' protest, said, “Iron-curtain of police presence all over Gujarat was an instance of a hell-shocked and petrified government.” He added, “During campaigning for the 2014 elections, those who shouted slogans like 'Subsidy in Mutton, why not for Cotton?', are today clamping down on the reasonable demands of the farmers.”
The statement said, “Preventive detention of the leaders of the Sanyukt Khedut Sangharsh Samiti (joint action committee of farmers) began yesterday and continued till 2 pm. Late night detentions and a literal cordon at all entry points in the city reveals a government that is terrified and scared. There is no doubt that the government has revealed its fascist tendencies in this undemocratic act of repressing the voice of farmers.”
It added, “While world leaders, corporate and MNC heads and industrialists were being entertained at taxpayers' money, the farmers who were going to come to Mahatma Mandir were detained in the early hours of the morning (2 am and 4 am) in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Amreli, Sabarkantha, Arvalli, Bharuch, Narmada, andSurat districts. The police cordon was as if they were out to nab terrorists.”
The statement further said, “The police presence at Adalaj crossroads would make one think that Gandhinagar was attacked by foreign forces. On the one hand the government was spreading out a feast for its foreign guests, the toiling cotton and groundnut farmers’ demands for fair prices did not find one sympathetic ear in the government – state or central.”
“Government apathy and thick-skinned disregard of the toiling masses’ demand for remunerative and fair prices is an example of the government’s sell-out to international and national corporate houses. The well-worn ploy of pitching the police against the people has been understood by the people and when the time comes the government will be brought to account. As long as the demands are not addressed, the agitation will continue. The forthcoming programmes will be decided after a meeting and we will see to it that our demands are met", the statement concluded.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Undemocratic attitude by the police forces in Gujarat State heading to 1975-77 INTERNAL EMERGENCY?

TRENDING

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By  A  Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Paul Newman wasn't just remarkably talented, he was anti-war activist, disdained Hollywood excesses

By Harsh Thakor*  On January 26th of this year, we celebrated the birth centenary of Paul Newman, one of the finest actors of his era. His passing on September 26, 2008, after a prolonged battle with lung cancer, was met with an outpouring of tributes and remembrances from artists across the film industry, all sharing their thoughts and memories of the legendary actor.  

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Health expert Dr Amitav Banerjee on commercialization of healthcare and neglect of natural immunity

By AK Shiburaj  In an interview with me, eminent health expert Dr. Amitav Banerjee has examined the impact of privatization on the healthcare sector, the implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) becoming a commercially driven entity, and the consequences of a pharmaceutical industry prioritizing profit over public health. He argues that an approach ignoring the importance of natural immunity fosters a drug-centric system that undermines the benefits of modern medicine.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor*  History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

4th Dalit literature festival to address critical issues affecting Dalits, women, tribals

By A Representative  The 4th Dalit Literature Festival (DLF) has been announced, with the theme "World Peace is Possible Through Dalit Literature."  The festival will take place on February 28th and March 1st, 2025, at Aryabhatta College, University of Delhi (South Campus).  Organized by the Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh (ALS) in collaboration with Aryabhatta College, Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), and other organizations, the DLF aims to highlight the power of Dalit literature in fostering global peace and addressing social injustices.

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative   A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.  

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative   Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.