Repression – free them all

Why Modi Government’s Persecution of Intellectuals Should Worry Us All

12/02/2019 Rani

The Wire / By Rohit Kumar

Intellectuals are imperative to a democracy and are connected closely with our right to think freely – which is why they figure high on an authoritarian regime’s list of targets.
The Assamese Sahitya Akademi awardee, Hiren Gohain has been charged with sedition, and Dalit scholar Anil Teltumbde is facing a prison sentence on charges of being part of an ‘urban Maoist’ plot to incite violence at Bhima Koregaon. Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves – some of the most respected voices in the field of tribal rights activism – were arrested last year on similar charges.
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Anand Teltumbde: “BJP govt wants to defame intellectuals”

10/02/2019 Rani

Deccan Herald / By Ajmal V

Anand Teltumbde is a leading figure in management and big data analytics who teaches at the Goa Institute of Management. Teltumbde, an ex-MD & CEO of Petronet and Executive Director of BPCL, has penned at least 26 books as well as numerous articles and columns for various publications.
Teltumbde was named as one of the accused in the alleged Maoist plot that led to violence on the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle on Jan 1, 2018 near Pune.
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250 cases of killings in alleged fake encounters registered from 2014 to January 20, 2019: MoS Home Kiren Rijuju tells Parliament

07/02/2019 Rani

The Leaflet / By The Leaflet

MoS (Home) informed Rajya Sabha that a total of 250 cases of killings in alleged fake encounters have been registered from 2014 upto January 20, 2019. In this category, Andhra Pradesh has maximum number of 58 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh and Odisha with 43 and 28 cases respectively in which complaints of alleged fake encounters have been received.
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Arrests, Summons, Externment: Maharashtra Police Moves Against 200 Activists

28/01/2019 Rani

The Wire / By Sukanya Shantha

Anti-caste leaders involved in the Bhima Koregaon protests said this sudden action, just months before national elections, was politically motivated and meant only to harass them.
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Women prisoners recount Jail Horror Stories: Rape and torture common in jails

24/01/2019 Rani

Citizens for Justice and Peace / By Teesta Setalvad

Over the past 15 years, India’s jails have seen a rise in women inmates by 61 per cent, even though they constitute only 48.18% of the national population (according to the World Bank, 2017). Moreover, the Indian prison system has failed to respect their rights. From custodial torture, rape, denial of health services, lack of clean food and water and sheer ignorance on behalf of the state, women inmates languish amidst inhuman conditions in Indian jails.
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Government will keep civil rights activists in jail till elections are over: Justice BG Kolse Patil

22/01/2019 Rani

Hindustan Times / By HT Correspondent

Retired Supreme Court judge and one of the organisers of Elgaar Parishad, Justice BG Kolse Patil speaks to HT regarding the arrests of civil rights activists.
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Resistance: Women demand better prison conditions

20/01/2019 Rani

Business Standard / By Press Trust of India

Sukalo spent 45 days in jail sleeping on the bathroom floor but, she says, that was not the worst pain she endured in prison.
A member of the Gond tribe, largely found in central India, she had to eat food infested with insects, drink contaminated water and share space with other women she did not know.
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Sexual Abuse, Mental Torture and Depression: Women Share Stories About Time in Prisons

18/01/2019 Rani

NewsClick / By Sumedha Pal

It was noted that women who were involved in the struggles to protect the land, water and forests and those resisting the anti-people policies unleashed by the governments were the worst affected in the prisons.
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India doesn’t have enough legal safeguards to protect expression of healthy criticism, but a recent Kerala High Court judgment might go a long way to change that

07/01/2019 Rani

The Leaflet / By Raja Dandamudi

When governments, both central and state, are not tolerating genuine criticism of governmental actions, and the courts are not doing much to protect the freedom of expression, a recent judgment by the Kerala High Court introduces a fresh breeze in an otherwise tense environment, where the voices of only some kinds of majorities are being entertained, while voices of minorities are being suppressed. Also, the judgment goes a long away in furthering the labour rights of employees, to express their opinion, even if it amounts to criticism of their employer or superiors.
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Report: Free Speech in India 2018: The State Rolls On

31/12/2018 Rani

FreeSpeechCollective / By the FreeSpeechCollective

The range of curbs on free speech, with unreasonable and often illegal clampdowns from various quarters – the State, both at the Centre and respective state governments; non-state actors and vigilante groups; corporations and industrialists, provides a glimpse of the challenges ahead as India heads into a national election that promises to be one of the most fiercely contested amid an increasingly polarised polity.

Table of Contents
I Killings of journalists
II Attacks
III Detention and Arrests
IV Threats
V Censorship
VI Online Media: Arrests, Shutdowns and Regulation
VII Defamation suits
VIII Contempt of court
IX Sedition
X Privacy and Surveillance
XI Government Control, Policy and Regulation XII Judicial orders
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