Activist Aruna Roy, politician and activist Jignesh Mewani (R), author and activist Arundhati Roy (C) and Supr... Read More

NEW DELHI: Stating the “urban Naxal” tag is an attempt to divide people and curb dissent, activists and leaders, including Arundhati Roy , Jignesh Mewani and Aruna Roy , led a protest on Thursday against the arrest of five human rights activists by the Maharashtra police for alleged Maoist links.

Human rights activists, lawyers, writers and students participated in the protest that condemned the arrests as “political vendetta and an attack on the Constitution”.

They announced that Dalit and farmer organisations will hold protests on September 5, a day before the Supreme Court is to hear petitions seeking quashing of the arrests.

Thursday’s protest was organised by People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS).

Addressing a press conference, author Arundhati Roy, lawyer Prashant Bhushan , Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani, activists Aruna Roy and Bezwada Wilson among others said the arrests of human rights activists Gautam Navlakha , Sudha Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Varavara Rao were an attempt to “instil fear and silence dissent”.

In a joint statement, over 30 largely Left-aligned and other civil society groups said it “strongly opposed and condemned the illegal raids and arrests by the Maharashtra police on August 28”.

The targeting of these activists is an attack on the poor and marginalised sections on whose behalf the activists have been raising their voice, it said and sought withdrawal of all cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

“The invoking of UAPA against rights activists, which ensures long-term incarceration and denial of bail, are meant to muzzle voices of democratic dissent,” the statement reads.

Writer Arundhati Roy said, “We are living in dangerous times and as we approach elections we will see more of such violations and attempts that can be best defined as divert and rule.” Recounting that a fire had broken out at a Make in India event in 2016, she said the “real fire of Make in India” is the Rafale deal.

Gujarat MLA Mevani said Dalits and activists will hold rallies on September 5 and a larger outreach on September 15 in 20 states. “Out of the arrests, what has emerged is that there is a combination of three things — undeclared emergency, fascism and the Gujarat model,” he said.

“Critical voices are being suppressed, space for activism is reducing,” said Aruna Roy.

