[Marxistindia] Protest Criminalisation of Protests

[news from the cpi(m)]

September 13, 2020


The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:


Strongly protest this criminalising of
peaceful protests in defence of Indian Constitution


The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is shocked  
by the brazenness with which the Delhi Police, acting under Home  
Minister, Amit Shah has tried to implicate prominent political  
leadership, academics, cultural personalities and activists in  
connection with the horrific communal violence in North East Delhi in  
February. No condemnation is strong enough for this act of crude  
partisanship and vengeance.

In scripting its own narrative of the organised communal violence, it  
is amply clear that BJP-RSS has gone about to portray Delhi riots  
being a “deep-rooted conspiracy” by anti-Citizenship Amendment Act  
(CAA) protesters. In the latest sequel, the Delhi police have dragged  
in Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram  
Yechury, renowned economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor  
Apoorvanand, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and documentary  
filmmaker Rahul Roy, among other prominent personalities, as persons  
who had, encouraged the protesters as part of a ‘plan’.

The names of these eminent personalities have emerged in the  
supplementary charge sheet filed by the Delhi police for FIR 50/20 in  
connection with the alleged role they played in motivating  
anti-CAA-NRC protesters. This is in line with the growing pattern of  
the most blatant abuse of the Police and other central agencies like  
CBI, NIA, ED to frame prominent opponents and demonise them. The  
pattern includes slapping of provisions of draconian NSA, UAPA and  
Sedition Act to harass and incarcerate   those who vigorously oppose  
such blatant misuse of powers by the government contrary to that as  
ordained by the Constitution. The arbitrary conduct of the NIA in the  
Bhima-Koregaon case and expanding its ambit is telling commentary of  
this course. Similarly, the dropping of the provisions of NSA and  
granting of bail to Dr Kafeel Khan by Allahabad High Court has  
graphically underlined this. Overall, this outlines a severe onslaught  
on democracy and the Constitution.



The CPI(M) condemns this obnoxious action by the Delhi Police to  
further the narrative of its political masters and urges the  
government to desist from such acts of criminalising peaceful  
political protests. The CPI(M) also strongly demands unconditional  
release of political prisoners who are incarcerating in cases under  
trumped up charges. The Polit Bureau urges its units all over the  
country and appeals to all the parties, organisations and individuals  
who are committed to democracy and values of the Constitution, to  
protest this dastardly attack on democracy.



For CPI(M) Central Committee Office