'Ridiculous': Delhi police cancels media event on Kashmir, sites anonymous organisers

Counterview Desk
The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)* has said that the Delhi police decision to cancel the "Media Blackout and State Repression in Kashmir” event, which was scheduled for 15th March 2023 to address the question of continuing harassment and incarceration of journalists is an "undemocratic action" under the "frivolous pretext of law and order situation”.
In a statment, it said, as part of repression by the state, the attack on democratic/human rights activists and journalists like Khurram Parvez, Asif Sultan and Fahad Shah has been "ever intensifying, and many such people have been jailed for months and years, despite the international call for their release."

Text:

Campaign Against State Repression strongly condemns Delhi Police’s action of pressurizing the management of Gandhi Peace Foundation in form of notice by IP Estate Police Station and cancelling the event titled “Media Blackout and State Repression in Kashmir” scheduled for 15th March 2023. The program was to address the question of continuing harassment and incarceration of journalists in order to suppress the grim realities of state repression in Kashmir. This undemocratic action of cancelling the event on the frivolous pretext of “law and order situation” is also part of the same attempt at creating information blackout and narrative building. The reason cited for cancelling the event was that the intelligence input suggested that the program was being organized by the “anonymous groups” and that the information of the participants and organizers couldn’t be ascertained by the police. It is ridiculous to even claim that the Delhi Police and its so called intelligence unit couldn’t ascertain the identity of our panelists consisting of renowned Documentary Film Maker, Retired High Court Judge, Journalists, Academicians and Civil Rights Activists. Similarly, the organisers, a joint front of more than 30 progressive democratic organizations, who have organized dozens of programs against State Repression, have been conveniently labelled as “anonymous groups” by the state. Less than a week ago, a similar notice was sent to the management of HKS Surjeet Bhavan by the same police station to cancel the “Bharat Bachao: National Convention”, by giving the same argument down to the last word, except the name of the event and venue. The organizers of Bharat Bachao approached the High Court and got permission for the event. Interestingly, this time the police sent the notice to the management and the organisers only on the day of the event, just a few hours before it was to start, thereby denying any alternate remedies to the organisers. In reality, this has nothing to do with anonymity of the organisers and participants but everything to do with covering up the repression unleashed by the state on the people, democratic/political organisations, media and human right defenders.
A few days ago, the Army Court Martialed and awarded life sentence to an Army Captain for staging a fake encounter of 3 young Kashmiri boys in Amshipora in 2020, and later claiming them to be militants and which was subsequently hailed by the state/corporate media and the government. Such encounters and disappearances have been normalised for Kashmir to suppress their democratic assertion. A few months ago, a Kashmiri Youth named Rashid Ahmad Dar, who was picked up by the 41 Rashtriya Rifles and later claimed to have escaped their custody during a combing operation, was found dead and decomposed few days back. Rashid Ahmad Dar belonged to the Kunan Village of Kupwara district, which still longs for justice to the survivors of Kunan Poshpora Mass rape of at least 21 including girls as young as 8 year old, reportedly by the soldiers of Indian Army on 23 Feb, 1991. In 2014, the Division Bench of J&K High Court Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Hasnain Masoodi, one of the today’s speaker, accepted the State Human Rights Commission’s Report and directed the state to pay compensation to the victims.

Similar attacks on journalists are being unleashed in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern States

These multifold repressive tools unleashed on the people of Kashmir has been the order of decades in the government's repression of the democratic assertion of the Kashmiri people. As part of this repression by the state, the attack on democratic/human rights activists and journalists like Khurram Parvez, Asif Sultan and Fahad Shah has been ever intensifying and many such people have been jailed for months and years, despite the international call for their release. Similar attacks on journalists are being unleashed in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern States to suppress the grim realities of state repression in these regions. The arrest and continued detention of Jharkhand journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh is a mirror image of the modus operandi of the State in Kashmir, and vice-versa. We believe that this undemocratic action of cancelling the event is an attack on the democratic and civil liberties of the people of Delhi and elsewhere, but most importantly it is an attack on the solidarity between the Indian People and the Kashmiri People. Furthermore, it is also an attack on the people’s right to information and access to truth. We, once again, strongly condemn this undemocratic act of the Brahmanical Hindutva Fascist State Machinery and call upon all democratic progressive people everywhere, be it India or abroad to stand with the people of Kashmir and for press freedom everywhere, be it Kashmir, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or North Eastern States.
---
*AIRSO,AISA, AISF, APCR,BASF, BCM, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, BSCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, Disha, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Fraternity ,IAPL, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA,Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Mehnatkash Mahila Sangathan, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, NBS, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Smajwadi lok manch, Satyashodak Sangh, SFI, United Against Hate, WSS,Y4S

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog