Condemn the arrest and persecution of human rights activists
Statement of the CC of the CGPI, August 29, 2018
In a coordinated operation on August 28, the Pune police launched simultaneous raids in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Goa and Hyderabad, on the homes of several persons known to be working for the rights of the dispossessed, including trade union activists, lawyers, writers, poets and priests. Five well-known human rights activists have been arrested – Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira – on trumped up charges of “instigating violence” following a Dalit rally at Bhima Koregaon on 1st January 2018. They have been arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The government is carrying out a disinformation campaign through sections of the monopoly controlled media, linking these activists with an alleged plot to kill top leaders of the government.
