Skip to main content

Undeclared emergency enforced by governments at centre, states, also by aggressive army of “proud Indians”

Counterview Desk 
Several civil rights organizations have decided to hold a national meet of human rights defenders on March 22-23, 2017, at Rajendra Bhavan, New Delhi. The seminar has been organized by PEACE in association with INSAF, PCSDS, HRDA, others. A concept note ahead of the high-level meet under the banner “Reclaiming Rights, Asserting Freedoms”:
Thousands of activists and human rights defenders are struggling to survive the suspension of constitutional rights and rule of law that defines the political climate in India today. This undeclared emergency is being enforced not only by the governments at the centre and in the States, but by an aggressive army of “proud Indians” who have bought into a distorted, monochromatic and ahistorical idea of the nation.
In this supposedly patriotic world-view, India is seen as the most glorious civilisation imaginable, reaching unprecedented heights of progress under a leader who can do no wrong. Anyone who refuses to swallow this idea and uncritically support each new prescription for economic, political and social “vikaas” is anti-national by definition.
Anyone who questions the wisdom of the rulers and their diktats is a dangerous threat to the nation, and a legitimate target for violence unleashed by the state as well as by vigilante gangs of “patriots” who operate with the encouragement and blessing of the state.
These so-called “offences against the nation” cover a wide range of acts. Challenging government policies; using instruments such as the RTI Act or the SC/ST Atrocities Act; challenging misuse of power by caste, class or political elites; mobilising to resist forcible eviction or land acquisition; publicly protesting violations of rights and freedoms; investigating police violence such as rape, sexual assault, torture, encounters and custodial deaths; seeking justice for state-sponsored violence; following one’s own choices and inclinations in personal spaces such as bedrooms and kitchens, or even failing to stand for the national anthem – all these have become risky and life-threatening acts in India today.
A toxic political climate has been created and normalised, in which the Constitution itself is no longer sacrosanct. Democratic rights and freedoms guaranteed to every citizen by the Constitution - right to equality and dignity, right to dissent, right to equal treatment before the law, freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of movement - are now identified as the greatest threats to democracy.
Those who insist on demanding, claiming, upholding and protecting these rights and freedoms are identified as dangerous and seditious enemies of the state, to be silenced and suppressed by any means.
No effort is spared in the mission of silencing and suppressing these defenders of rights and freedoms, whether social activists, journalists and writers, lawyers, leaders of movements, researchers and academics, whistleblowers, NGOs and professional associations. They are targeted with murderous attacks, hounded and slandered.
Rape, sexual assault and sexual violence are the patriotic prescriptions for women activists. Draconian laws for “maintenance of order” and “public security” are invoked to arrest and incarcerate human rights defenders as “terrorists”, “Maoist sympathisers” or simply “traitors”.
They are subjected to torture and sexual violence in jail. Their families are threatened and attacked by goon squads. False cases and concocted charges are foisted on them, and they face torture and mistreatment in prison. Their families are ostracised and often reduced to penury.
Lawyers are prevented from fighting their cases. Trolls pursue and attack them online and on social media. Their attackers both in and out of uniform are protected by their political affiliations and flaunt their impunity.
Democratic institutions are being systematically undermined and destroyed. Universities are being re-conceptualised as indoctrination centres where unpatriotic tendencies of rationality, independent thinking and critical questioning are discouraged.
Obedient robots are given charge of cultural and academic institutions, where they are busily erasing the boundaries between myth and history, science and superstition, justice and appeasement. Parliament, the courts and human rights institutions are treated with open contempt by the rulers and are increasingly reduced to mute bystanders and helpless witnesses to the attempted murder of democracy.
But resistance is alive. Despite the concerted campaign to silence and suppress them, thousands of human rights defenders, students, activists and concerned citizens continue to stand their ground and are fighting to assert, protect and claim the rig hts and freedoms granted by the Constitution.
* Let us come together to affirm and celebrate our solidarity, commitment and collective strength, and chart the way forward.
* We will not remain isolated!
* We will not remain silent!
* We will not allow this situation to continue!

Comments

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.