New Delhi: The ‘politically motivated’ arrests of Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha are not just a message to the Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and other minorities in India but also to those in other parts of the subcontinent who have looked to the example of India’s secular and democratic innovations for inspiration, says a statement issued by more than 200 Nepali citizens.

“On behalf of the Nepali public, we strongly condemn these unjust arrests, especially in the context when even repressive regimes in other parts of the world are releasing political prisoners in the face of the COVID-19 crisis,” the statement says.

The Nepali citizens have said the allegations against Teltumbde and Navlakha in the Bhima Koregaon case are “absurd”. They note that nine human rights activists (Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, and Vernon Gonsalves) have “already been incarcerated for almost two years now in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, with no sign of a trial commencing”. They also criticised charges being booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, saying it “makes a mockery of the jurisprudence granting bail as a right”.

The statement described Teltumbde as “a friend to the Dalit movement in Nepal”. “He cared about the constitutional reforms in Nepal and wanted to see that the flaws visible to him in the Indian Constitution were not repeated in Nepal,” it says.

The full statement and the list of signatories has been reproduced below.

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Nepali Citizens against the Arrest of Dr. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha

Deploying the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Indian authorities decisively moved to detain eminent Indian scholar Dr. Anand Teltumbde and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha on April 14, 2020. Dr. Teltumbde, friend to the Dalit movement in Nepal, has written extensively about the caste system and has tirelessly advocated for the rights of Dalits. He cared about the constitutional reforms in Nepal and wanted to see that the flaws visible to him in the Indian Constitution were not repeated in Nepal.

These politically motivated arrests, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, appears to us as a message not only to Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and other minorities in India but also to those in other parts of the subcontinent who have looked to the example of India’s secular and democratic innovations for inspiration. On behalf of the Nepali public, we strongly condemn these unjust arrests, especially in the context when even repressive regimes in other parts of the world are releasing political prisoners in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Indian authorities have laid absurd allegations against Dr. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha of seeking to overthrow the Indian government. This bizarre persecution by the Indian police started after the retaliatory violence by anti-Dalit vigilantes following Dalit protests and recognition of Bhima Koregoan in January 2018. Nine human rights activists (Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Arun Ferreira, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, and Vernon Gonsalves) have already been incarcerated for almost two years now in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, with no sign of a trial commencing. All of them have been booked under the UAPA making bail impossible. This makes a mockery of the jurisprudence granting bail as a right.

In carrying out the arrests of Dr. Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha (both senior individuals), the Indian government demonstrates a galling neglect of the risks to their health. The death of either individual under Indian custody, a real possibility during the COVID-19 crisis, would be a stain on the conscience of the world.

It is outrageous that the Indian government, instead of defending human rights and securing the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, is cracking down on the very people who fight for justice in India. More disturbingly, public comments by political actors have indicated that Dr. Teltumbde was singled out precisely because of his Dalit identity and activism. These measures by the Indian government are effectively an attempt to create a culture of state terror in the region. This is a violation of democratic principles as well as a dismissal of Dalit dissent.

We staunchly denounce the rise of these tactics in South Asian nations and beyond, and we call upon the Indian government to live up to the spirit of the Constitution and cease these assaults on civil liberties.

We, the undersigned, call upon Dalit, Adivasi/Janajati, OBC, and other minority leaders throughout the world to seek the preservation of justice and equity.

We stand in solidarity with those who fight for justice and those who safeguard Dalit rights. Signed by: