MADURAI
A group of activists have demanded repeal of “the draconian” Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) which, they said, is being misused by the government to silence voices of social activists throughout the country. They also pressed for withdrawal of “false cases foisted against social activists under the UAPA”.
Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, R. Murali, national secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), elaborated on how five persons were falsely booked under the UAPA for raising slogans during the funeral of Manivasagam, one of the four Maoists killed by Thunderbolt, a special force of Kerala police, in October last year.
“The body of Manivasagam was transported from Kerala to Salem for the last rites to be performed by his sister Lakshmi. Manivasagam’s wife Kala and his other sister Chandra, who were already booked under the UAPA, performed the last rites after the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court granted them parole,” he said.
However, 64 days after the funeral, Lakshmi, along with her husband and son, was booked under the UAPA. Also, a fresh case under the Act was booked against Kala and Chandra. “This time, a Village Administrative Officer booked the case against these people under the UAPA for raising slogans during the funeral. A VAO is not even authorised to book a case,” he said.
Activists from other social organisations, including People’s Rights Protection Centre, demanded the immediate withdrawal of cases slapped against them.
They also said that more than 4,000 people had been booked under the UAPA throughout the country in the last two years under the BJP government.