Statements – free them all

Umar Khalid: A Prisoner of Conscience

02/05/2026 Asha

The Wire / by Clifton D’ Rozario

This is a speech by from a book discussion on ‘Umar Khalid and His World’ held on April 28, 2026 at BIC, Bengaluru.
…
Whether it is Bhima Koregaon, or the anti-CAA protests or Adivasi struggles, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has become the toolkit to imprison dissenters. The UAPA stands as one of the most enduring remnants of colonial rule. Under the British laws of this nature existed for one purpose alone: to criminalise resistance and imprison those who dared to speak against the coloniser. It is a matter of profound shame that more than 75 years after Independence, in a Republic that claims fidelity to liberty, constitutional morality and democratic dissent, the State continues to preserve and weaponise the very architecture of repression once used by our oppressors.
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▪ UMAR KHALID AND HIS WORLD: an anthology

Editors: Anirban Bhattacharya, Banojyotsna Lahiri, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
Publisher: Three Essays Collective
Publication date: Feb 2026
Pages: 340

This is an anthology of writings on and by Umar Khalid, edited by his friends, highlighting his ideas and the events that have been defining moments in his journey since he was imprisoned. In the process it underscores the injustice where the trial itself is punishment, the widespread support and sympathy for Umar Khalid, and the perfidy of the State. In talking of his world rather than just him, it also brings to life the related dimensions of democracy and authoritarianism, and that he is one among many prisoners of conscience. The book has contributions from eminent intellectuals, among them scholars, mediapersons, lawyers and human rights activists, as well as other prisoners under UAPA, and is enriched with songs and poetry of the anti-CAA-NRC protests, and statements and tributes from friends and family members.

OIAD: Surendra Gadling kept in prolonged detention for 8 years

22/04/2026 Asha

Protect-lawyers.org / by Observatoire International des Avocats en Danger (OIAD)

Mr Surendra Gadling is a lawyer specialising in the defence of human rights and marginalised communities, particularly Dalits and indigenous peoples in India. He has been held in detention for nearly eight years in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. He is now the only defendant still in prison – the other fifteen people prosecuted in this case have been released on bail.
Gadling was arrested in 2018 and is one of a group of human rights defenders prosecuted for their alleged involvement in violence that occurred in Bhima Koregaon. Several organisations believe that these prosecutions are in fact targeting committed activists and denounce the charges as baseless.
Mr Gadling is also being prosecuted in another case linked to a fire at a mining site in Surajgarh. According to several lawyers, inconsistencies have been identified in the complaint (including the absence of evidence linking him directly to the incident).
Read full statement

Also read:
▪ 7 yrs in jail, charges framed against Surendra Gadling in Surajgarh arson case. What Bombay HC told SC (The Print / Apr 2026)
▪ IAPL demands release of advocate Surendra Gadling from Maharashtra jail (The Sisat Daily / March 2026)
▪ Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling (The Mooknayak / March 2026)
▪ IAPL press note about arrest of Advocate Gadling & other people’s activists (Sanhati / June 2018)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)

The End of Naxalism, the End of Accountability

22/04/2026 Asha

The Wire / by Nandini Sundar

As the government claims victory over the CPI (Maoist), a more consequential defeat is being obscured: the collapse of constitutional accountability and the normalisation of impunity.
…
Among the many ironies of this confused and legally directionless ‘end of Naxalism’, is the fate of those arrested on charges of being Maoist sympathisers. At one end, we have the human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling who has been in jail since 2018, along with the rest of the BK 16 who are out on bail but still suffer from a protracted trial despite ample proof that police ‘evidence’ was fabricated. At the other end, the youth leaders of the Moolvasi Bachao Manch in Bastar, like Raghu Midiyami, Suneeta Pottam and others, have been jailed for over two years under UAPA, along with some other 40 activists at different times. Even simple rights like an operation to fix Raghu Midiyami’s broken finger are being resisted by the NIA. The MBM waged an entirely constitutional struggle, invoking the 5th Schedule of the Constitution and PESA to defend their lands. Evidently a peaceful movement of locals, in the face of an intensified mining push, is now a greater threat to the national security state than even the Maoists.
Hundreds of other innocent Adivasis continue to languish in jail, going through the tortuous legal system. Stan Swamy was targeted because his PIL in the Jharkhand High Court, based on interviews with 102 undertrials, showed that 97% of those arrested on charges of being Maoist actually had no relation to them.
Read more

Also read:
▪ 7 yrs in jail, charges framed against Surendra Gadling in Surajgarh arson case. What Bombay HC told SC (The Print / Apr 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison | Half-Freedom For Adivasis Jailed On Maoist Allegations (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison | From Forest To Prison, When Security Laws Criminalise Adivasi Resistance (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Will anti-Naxal drive pave way for mining giants? (The New Indian Express / May 2025)
▪ Top intellectual targeted for role as anti-displacement activist, opponent of ‘corporate loot’ (Sep 2024)
▪ Who Is Suneeta Pottam, the Tribal Rights Activist Picked up for Unknown Cases Earlier This Month? (The Wire / Jun 2024)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)
▪ Condemn the State Sponsored Massacre Scripted as ‘Encounter’ in Gadchiroli and Bijapur in Central India (wssnet.wordpress.com / May 2018)
▪ A study of Undertrials in Jharkhand (Sanhati / by Bagaicha Research Team / Feb 2016)

Convention in Ludhiana raises concerns over detentions, rights issues

10/04/2026 Asha

Countercurrents / by Harsh Thakor

A convention organised by the Democratic Front Against Green Hunt, Punjab, was held to mark April 8 as a day opposing what participants described as “draconian laws” and to commemorate the legacy of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. …
Resolutions presented by Jaswinder Phagwara were adopted at the convention. … Additional demands included the release of activists and intellectuals in cases such as Bhima Koregaon, the Lucknow conspiracy case and the Delhi violence cases, the release of undertrials and convicts who have completed their sentences, protection of the right to organise and protest, and an end to alleged fake police encounters in Punjab.
Read more

Also read:
▪ 7 yrs in jail, charges framed against Surendra Gadling in Surajgarh arson case. What Bombay HC told SC (The Print / Apr 2026)
▪ Artists, Educators, Publishers Speak Out Against ‘Rising Attempts’ to Stifle Their Voices (The Wire / March 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison | A Legacy Of Detention: Weaponisation Of PDA, TADA, NSA And UAPA Laws Since Independence (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ ‘Provincial Convention against Repression’ in Barnala, Punjab (Countercurrents / Jan 2025)

The death of the 84-year-old Catholic priest, Stan Swamy, marked the end of India’s secularism

08/04/2026 Asha

Christian Post / by Azeem Ibrahim

On July 5, 2021, Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy — an 83-year-old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist — died in pre-trial custody in Mumbai, India.
Frail from Parkinson’s disease and a COVID-19 infection, he had spent nine months behind bars under India’s anti-terror laws, denied bail despite his deteriorating health. His alleged crime was implausible: authorities accused him of sedition and links to Maoist insurgents — charges widely derided as baseless. To many, his imprisonment and death became a symbol of a constitutional democracy being quietly hollowed out.
Read more

Also read:
▪ The Siege of Faith: A year-long analysis of the persecution and otherisation of Christians in India (SabrangIndia / March 2026)
▪ Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative (Countercurrents / Feb 2026)
▪ Report 2025: Hate Speech Events in India (Center for the Study of Organized Hate / Jan 2026)
▪ Indian Jesuits to continue fight to clear Father Stan Swamy’s name (UCA News / Dec 2025)
▪ INDIA | USCIRF–RECOMMENDED FOR COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom / 2025)
▪ Father Stan Swamy died of natural causes, Maharashtra government tells court (India Today / Oct 2025)
▪ Modi government’s actions against the Christian minority reveal a deep malaise within our society (Scroll.in / Mar 2022)

Prashant Bose died in custody – was linked to an alleged ‘communication’ in the Bhima Koregaon case

04/04/2026 Asha

Prashant Bose. Pic credits: Countercurrents.org

Top Maoist dies in Ranchi, was linked to ‘plot to kill PM Modi’ in Pune case

04/04/2026

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Bose was one of the many accused named in the Elgaar Parishad- Koregaon Bhima case by the Pune city police in 2018. He was named in connection with an alleged “Maoist communication” that mentioned a plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A top Maoist leader Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, aged around 80 years, died at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi on Friday. A native of West Bengal, Bose was arrested along with his wife Sheela Marandi in November 2021, and has been behind bars since then.
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CASR strongly condemns the custodial murder of political prisoner Prashant Bose

04/04/2026

Countercurrents.org / by Campaign Against State Repression

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) strongly condemns the custodial death of octogenarian political prisoner Prashant Bose, who passed away on 3rd April at RIMS Hospital, Ranchi, Jharkhand.
…
CASR demands:
▪ A high-level, independent judicial inquiry into the custodial death of Prashant Bose.
▪ Immediate and adequate medical treatment for all prisoners across jails.
▪ Urgent release of all prisoners suffering from severe and life-threatening medical conditions.
Read full statement

Also read:
▪ I saw firsthand how callous prison officials and their negligence led to Stan Swamy’s death (Scroll.in | by Arun Ferreira | Jul 2025)
▪ Was the trial judge who convicted G.N. Saibaba biased? We will never know, and that is part of the injustice (The Leaflet / March 2024)
▪ Elgar Parishad Case: CPI (Maoist) Leader Arrested in Jharkhand (The Wire / Nov 2021)
▪ The unravelling of a conspiracy: were the 16 charged with plotting to kill India’s prime minister framed? (The Guardian / Aug 2021)
▪ They were accused of plotting to overthrow the Modi government. The evidence was planted, a new report says. (Washington Post / Feb 2021)

IAPL demands release of advocate Surendra Gadling from Maharashtra jail

31/03/2026 Asha

The Sisat Daily / by News Desk

Advocate Surendra Gadling is the only one to continue languishing in the jail in the Bhima Koregaon case, after 15 other accused have been released on bail, some with conditions.
Hyderabad: The Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) on Monday, March 30, demanded the immediate release of it’s general secretary and eminent advocate from Nagpur Surendra Gadling, an accused in the Bhima-Koregaon and the Surajgarh mine arson cases in Maharashtra for the past eight years.
Gadling is the only one to continue languishing in jail in the Bhima Koregaon case after 15 others accused have been released on bail with some conditions. His discharge petition has been posted for hearing in the Supreme Court this week.
Read more

Also read:
▪ Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling (The Mooknayak / March 2026)
▪ NIA Conducts Coordinated Raids on Rights Activists Across 62 Locations in Andhra, Telangana (The Wire / Oct 2023)
▪ First, They Came For the Lawyers… (The Wire / Nov 2019)
▪ IAPL press note about arrest of Advocate Gadling & other people’s activists (Sanhati / June 2018)
▪ Encountering Resistance – State Policy for Development in Gadchiroli (PUDR / June 2018)

Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling

13/03/2026 Asha

Public Meeting at Press Club of India Demands Release of People’s Lawyer Surendra Gadling

13/03/2026

The Mooknayak English / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)

Activist Surendra Gadling is detained for his human rights and civil rights work for marginalized religious communities.

Press Release by Campaign Against State Repression
New Delhi, 12 March

Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) organised a public meeting at the Press Club of India on 12 March demanding the immediate release of people’s lawyer Surendra Gadling, who has been incarcerated in the Bhima Koregaon case. Lawyers, journalists, and academics addressed the gathering, highlighting the implications of the case for democratic rights, civil liberties, and the independence of the legal profession.
Read the full press release

By Manish Azad (March 2, 2026:)
Join Public Meeting in Solidarity with People’s Advocate Surendra Gadling
Release Surendra Gadling immediately !!
Release All Political Prisoners !!

Also read:
▪ CASR Condemns Abduction and Brutal Torture of Activists by Delhi Police Special Cell (Countercurrents.org / March 18, 2026)

▪ Surendra Gadling and the justice that must be seen to be denied (Frontline / Feb 2026)
▪ Explained: The 2016 Surjagarh arson case, the Elgaar link, and why the Supreme Court is intervening now (The Indian Express / Jan 2026)
▪ 6 yrs, no charges framed – Surendra Gadling stuck in trial limbo in 2016 Surajgarh arson case (The Print / Sep 2025)
▪ In Surendra Gadling’s case, adjournment becomes the verdict (Frontline / Aug 2025)
▪ How Long is Too Long? – On the Maximum Period that an Undertrial Prisoner can be Detained (Constitutional Law and Philosophy | by Hany Babu and Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ Gadling in jail. Reason? As lawyer-activist he has been ‘unpleasant’ to India’s topcops (Counterview / Dec 2020)

Artists, Educators, Publishers Speak Out Against ‘Rising Attempts’ to Stifle Their Voices

12/03/2026 Asha

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

“These attacks have taken place in various forms, but each follows a pattern of impunity enabled by a rising culture of intolerance and suppression.”
A collective of artists, authors, publishers and educators have issued a statement condemning “rising attempts” to curtail free speech and creative voices in India. Referring to incidents including Anand Teltumbde’s panel being cancelled at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival and water being thrown at historian S. Irfan Habib, the signatories say that “these disruptions set a dangerous precedent if left unaddressed in the current political climate”.
Read more / the full statement

Also read:
▪ Mumbai Press Club Bars Elgar Parishad Defendants’ Entry, Issues Show-Cause Notice to Member (The Wire / March 2026)
▪ ‘Controversy best avoided’: Kala Ghoda festival director after Anand Teltumbde book event cancelled (Scroll.in / Feb 2026)
▪ Stan Swamy Lecture Cancelled – A Case Study in India’s Shrinking Space for Dissent (The Print / Aug 2025)

CASR Condemns NIA Notice to Anti-Displacement Activist Damodar Turi

23/02/2026 Asha

Countercurrents.org / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) strongly condemns the recent actions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Hyderabad, which has issued a notice to Damodar Turi, a long-time anti-displacement activist, in connection with FIR RC-04/2025/HYDERABAD. This case, initiated two months ago, is yet another example of the state’s ongoing harassment of individuals who challenge the exploitation and marginalization of indigenous communities, particularly those resisting displacement due to mining and industrialization.
Damodar Turi, a dedicated activist for over three decades, has been at the forefront of movements against the forced displacement of Adivasis and indigenous communities in Jharkhand and across India. As a founding member of the Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), a pan-India anti-displacement organization, Damodar Turi has worked alongside other prominent human rights advocates, including Stan Swamy and B.D. Sharma, to raise awareness about the systematic dispossession of tribal people from their land in the name of development.
Read full statement

Also read:
▪ Voices From Prison | Half-Freedom For Adivasis Jailed On Maoist Allegations (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison | From Forest To Prison, When Security Laws Criminalise Adivasi Resistance (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Will anti-Naxal drive pave way for mining giants? (The New Indian Express / May 2025)
▪ Top intellectual targeted for role as anti-displacement activist, opponent of ‘corporate loot’ (Sep 2024)
▪ Jharkhand police to probe into Maoist links with Stan Swamy’s ‘Bagaicha’, 63 other frontal organisations (The New Indian Express / Sep 2023)
▪ CASR: Release activists incarcerated in Bhima Koregaon Case (Countercurrents.org / June 2023)
▪ NIA Opposes Stan Swamy’s Bail; Calls PUCL, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan ‘Maoist Fronts’ (The Wire / Jan 2021)