BHUBANESWAR: Human rights activists and civil society organisations on Wednesday condemned the arrest of certain intellectuals and activists from different parts of India and said the country has been experiencing an ‘undeclared emergency’. They demanded immediate release of those arrested and dropping of all ‘false and malicious’ charges that are ‘politically motivated and unjustified’. They also urged all secular powers including dalits , tribals and minorities to unite and raise voices against ‘secular’ forces.

“It is pure and simple vendetta politics. There is absolutely no evidence with the police against those activists. They arrested them on the basis of information from a laptop and an e-mail. If ever they are conspiring, will they keep the information that they are planning to kill PM Modi in the style Rajiv Gandhi was killed and keep it saved in the laptop and share it through e-mail. Why the police and investigating agencies were sitting over it for the last five months?” questioned Swami Agnivesh.

The activists including Harsh Mander, John Dayal, Nadeem Khan, Prafulla Samantara assembled on the occasion of ten years of Kandhamal riots here.

“These people are fighting for the justice of the poor and down trodden. They have been raising their voices against injustice and atrocities in all forms and their arrest is an attempt to stifle these voices. This is an attack on the fundamental rights of a person,” said social activist John Dayal.

They said the BJP government has created a sense of fear and terror everywhere by curtailing fundamental rights like freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

“This is called fascism. It is up to us that whether we would be only mute spectators to the increasing communal killings in the country and the arrest of intellectuals terming them as urban naxalites,” said Nadeem Khan, another activist.

They said, ahead of the elections the government has got worried over its loosing mandate and doing such madness. “Is talking of justice is a crime in the country? Attacking on democratic rights of people can never help anyone in anyway. It is high time when people must unite and support each other in the difficult time instead of succumbing to the communal forces,” said activist Harsh Mander.

