Delhi riots: Dissent being criminalised, probe targeting protesters, allege activists

NEW DELHI:  Several prominent activists, including author Arundhati Roy, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, on Thursday accused the Delhi Police of criminalising dissent. They also expressed their criticism of the recent Supreme Court ruling that public places cannot be occupied indefinitely for protests and they must be carried out in a designated area.

The activist, who had gathered under the banner of Concerned Citizens Collective, said that current scenario in the country sees dissent as a black mark and various authorities are trying to cull it.
“Standing up for the rule of law has been criminalised in the country.

The recent ruling of the Supreme Court has hurt not just the right of citizens, but the core of democracy. When the idea of equal citizenship is threatened by laws like CAA, people have the right to make their anguish heard,” said JNU professor and feminist theorist Nivedita Menon.

“India was born and built through a history of peaceful public protest. That is our legacy and foundational value as a democracy. UAPA should be repealed because it is not a law, it’s a loose collection of words which allows the state to charge anyone with anything” said Roy. 

Condemning the arrest of former JNU student Umar Khalid and others in connection with the Delhi riots that broke out this February, Bhushan said that investigation into the violence has turned into a tool to harass people fighting against the new citizenship law.

Bezwada Wilson, Magsaysay awardee and convener of the Safai Karamchari Andolan, said “Why do people protest? Because they experience injustice and inequality and as long as state remains unresponsive and mute, people need to be heard and to be seen. I have a right to say if I disagree with a law in this country.”