Farmers Movement Archive

Release intellectuals, writers arrested under UAPA: Farm outfit

Bathinda: Hours before winding up the year-long farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders, farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday observed the international human rights day and demanded the release of all intellectuals and writers arrested under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishad case and Delhi riots cases. Terming the arrests of activists as sheer violation of human rights, the farm outfit turned the last session of the farm protest into one of sloganeering, demanding that just as the central government repealed farm laws, it should make way for release of activists who have been lodged in jails for a long time now. The farm activists waved photos of arrested Gautam Navlakha, Roma Wilson, Varvara Rao, Surendra Gadling, Soma Sen, Sudha Bhardwaj (who recently got bail), Stan Swami (who died on July 5). Last year, BKU Ekta Ugrahan h had observed the day on December 10, during the ongoing farm protests, saying human rights violation were increasing in the country. The farm activists had to face flak from the government and were branded as Naxalites and Maoist sympathisers. The other protesting farmers’ groups had then distanced themselves from the BKU Ugrahan action, saying they had nothing to do with it. Farm outfit president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, “The central government continues to crush the voices of opposition. Many intellectuals have been put behind bars for raising voices in favour of the rights of the people. The government is scaring people by laws like AFPSA and massacre in Nagaland has unmasked the face of the government,” Activist Navsharan Kaur said, “The government is branding all those who raise voice against its excesses, (calls them) urban naxals or anti-nationals. It is the biggest form of the violation of human rights.”

The Times of India

2021-12-11

Chandigarh