Statements – Page 19 – free them all

Jesuit priest accused of terrorism was victim of digital hacking

03/04/2023 Asha

Independent Catholic News / by John McManus

Today, Jesuit Missions, the international mission and development office of the Jesuits in Britain, along with the international Xavier Network, are calling on the Indian Government to clear Fr Stan’s name, especially in light of new evidence which proves that he was systematically targeted during a four-year campaign, during which time falsified evidence was planted on the priest’s computer.
Read more

Also read:
● Fabricating Evidence Against Life and Liberty: Tampering with Fr. Stan Swamy’s computer and its implications for Bhima Koregaon case (Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy / Dec 2022)
● Leaked Data Shows Surveillance Net in Elgar Parishad Case May Have Crossed a Line (The Wire / July 2021)

Hany Babu has been granted honorary doctorate degree by Ghent University

03/04/2023 Asha

by Maktoob / @MaktoobMedia (Apr 3):

dutch (en subtitles) | 2:51min | 2023

Noted academic Dr Hany Babu, a UAPA prisoner in the Bhima Koregaon case, has been granted honorary doctorate degree by Ghent University in Belgium. Dr Anne Breitbarth, Ghent University in this video read a poem on Babu by Shivangi Mariam Raj. It was published in Maktoob.
Watch video

Also Read:
● Jailed professor Hany Babu gets Honorary Degree by Ghent University in Belgium (free-them-all.net / March 23, 2023)

Several retired bureaucrats recalled the custody death of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy

04/03/2023 Asha

By Constitutional Conduct Group

CCG OPEN LETTER TO THE HON’BLE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA – HARASSMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji,
… We write to you today because we are deeply perturbed by the continued harassment, through speech and criminal action, of minority groups in the country by persons associated with your government, your party, organisations connected to it, and by mischief makers from amongst the public.
… Jesuit priest, Father Stan Swamy, for no fault of his except that he was closely working with the Adivasis, Dalits and other underprivileged people of Jharkhand, was virtually driven to his death by no less than the State.
Read full statement

Also Read:
● Organisation named after Stan Swamy calls to free rights defenders (The Telegraph / March 2023)
● CCG OPEN LETTER TO CITIZENS OF INDIA (Constitutional Conduct Group / Nov 2021)

India Cries for Justice

25/02/2023 Asha

Countercurrents.org / by Cedric Prakash

In India, the cries for justice, are becoming louder and longer! They come from different segments of society and particularly from those who continue to be exploited and excluded!
… Human Rights defenders cry for justice! Thanks to those who have had the courage to stick their necks out for the poor, exploited and other vulnerable sections of society – that reality is still on the canvass! Many human rights defenders are still paying the price for their courageous and selfless deeds. The likes of Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and others are still languishing in jail, in the Bhima- Koregaon conspiracy case.
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Anybody dissenting will be treated in this manner: Father Frazer Mascarenhas

09/02/2023 Asha

Rediff.com / by Neeta Kolhatkar

In November 2021, the Bombay High Court allowed Father (Dr) Frazer Mascarenhas, SJ, to approach the court to clear the name of Father Stan Swamy, the oldest of the 16 Bhima Koregaon accused, who died in hospital in July 2021 …
Known to speak freely and stand by his principles, Father Frazer, who is now the parish priest at a Mumbai church, tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Neeta Kolhatkar, “It seems to be a culture now. Anybody dissenting will be treated in this manner. No human rights… It is not limited to any one political party. The evidence shows that a group of political parties seem to be using this in an extensive and deliberate manner.”

The first of a two-part interview
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Also read:
● Fabricating Evidence Against Life and Liberty: Tampering with Fr. Stan Swamy’s computer and its implications for Bhima Koregaon case (Mumbai Rises to Save Democracy / Dec 2022)

Podcast: Elgar Parishad case defies logic, creates perpetual sense of disbelief

08/02/2023 Asha

en | 38:57min | 2023

By All Indians Matter

The Elgar Parishad case, in which several activists have been accused of making speeches that led to violence in Bhima Koregaon near Pune in 2018, drags on. Dalit scholar Anand Teltumbde, lawyer-activist Sudha Bhardwaj and poet Varavara Rao have got bail, but only after spending years in prison. But others, such as Vernon Gonsalves, continue to languish behind bars.
Eighty-four-year-old Jharkhand-based tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, meanwhile, died in custody on July 5, 2021. What does this case tell us about human rights in India and about the effectiveness – or lack of it – of the judiciary?
Susan Abraham – a lawyer who’s been at the forefront of the legal battle, human right activist and wife of Vernon Gonsalves – speaks to All Indians Matter.

Listen to the podcast

Also read:
● Why the letter about a ‘Rajiv Gandhi-type’ assassination plot to kill Modi is fake (dailyo | by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves | Jan 30, 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (dailyo | by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves | Jan 30, 2018)

AI: India/Egypt: Ongoing human rights crisis in both countries must be addressed

26/01/2023 Asha

India/ Egypt: Ongoing human rights crisis in both countries must be addressed

26/01/2023

By Amnesty International

The Indian and Egyptian authorities must address the ongoing human rights and impunity crises in the two countries, Amnesty International said today, as India hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the chief guest at its Republic Day celebrations.
… In India, 16 Bhima Koregaon activists have been arrested since 2018 on fabricated charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terror law. They have also faced an intense crackdown by the authorities for their work for marginalized communities.
Read more

Also read:
● Act now to demand the release of the BK16! (Amnesty International, Dec 2022)

CPI(M): Release Elgar Parishad Political Prisoners Immediately

01/01/2023 Asha

Click to enlarge posters. Posters by CPI(M)/@cpimspeak (Dec 14, 2022)

CPI(M): Release Elgar Parishad Political Prisoners Immediately

01/01/2023

Peoplesdemocracy.in / by Maharashtra state committee of the CPI (M)

There is no connection between the Elgar Parishad at Pune and the violence that erupted at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018. This was part of the deposition made by the then investigating senior police officer, Ganesh More, before the N J Patel Commission set up by the Maharashtra government. The Maharashtra state committee of the CPI(M) strongly demands that, in the light of this revelation, all the Bhima Koregaon political detenus languishing in prison be immediately released.
Read full statement

Also read:
● ‘By Targeting Elgaar Parishad, Modi Was Getting Back at Justice Sawant’ (Newsclick.in / Dec 30, 2022)
● Top Investigating Officer Admits Elgar Parishad Event ‘Had No Role’ in Bhima Koregaon Violence (The Wire / Dec 27, 2022)
● Cop: No Link Between Elgar Parishad and violence at Bhima Koregaon on Jan 1, 2018 (Rediff.com / Dec 22, 2022)

Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

01/01/2023 Asha

Bhima Koregaon victory remembered in Sakleshpur

02/01/2023

The Hindu / by THE HINDU BUREAU

The anniversary of Bhima Koregaon victory was celebrated in Sakleshpur on Sunday.
Hundreds of people took part in the procession held in memory of the battle held in 1818, in which a few hundred Mahar soldiers of East India Company defeated the Peshwa army at Bhima Koregaon in Pune. A replica of Bhima Koregaon pillar was carried along the procession. A federation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had organised the event.
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Huge turnout at 205th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima

02/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde, Sushant Kulkarni

As per a Dalit narrative, a British Army comprising 500 soldiers from the Mahar community defeated a 25,000-strong force of upper caste Peshwas in the battle of Koregaon Bhima.
The programme to mark the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima at the ‘Jaystambh’ in Perne village of Pune district passed off peacefully on Sunday. ‘Jaystambh’ is a ‘military monument’ erected by the British government in 1821 in memory of its soldiers, who fought against the Peshwas during the Maratha rule at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818.
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Bhima-Koregaon battle anniversary passes peacefully amid heavy security with lakhs in attendance

01/01/2023

The Hindu / by Shoumojit Banerjee

The 205th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle passed without incident as lakhs of Ambedkarites from across Maharashtra and the country congregated near the Ranstambh (victory pillar) in Perne village in Pune district on Sunday under heavy security cover.
Crowds have been steadily milling in Bhima-Koregaon since Saturday evening to pay floral tributes to the bravery of the Mahar soldiers who fought against the Peshwa forces in the 1818 battle.
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Battle of Koregaon Bhima anniversary: Thousands start paying respects at Jaystambh amidst heavy police deployment

01/01/2023

The Indian Express / by Express News Service

The district administration said it is expecting a turnout of over five lakh people this year. The police identified dozens of social media posts which can potentially lead to law and order and situation and initiated a process to delete them.
Thousands of followers have started to arrive at the Jaystambh in Pune’s Perne village marking the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima Sunday amidst heavy police deployment. The police said they are keeping a close watch on the social media posts related to the subject.
Read more

#BhimaKoregaon

by Siddhesh Gautam / @siddheshgautam (Jan 1, 2023):

Happy New Year/ Happy Bhima Koregaon Day, 2023
#JaiBhim #BhimaKoregaon #bakeryprasad

by Shiv Kumar / @ShivKumar_mas (Jan 1, 2023):

by AISA – DU / @aisa_du (Jan 1, 2023):

Remember the battle of Bhima Koregaon! Fight for the freedom of all those incarcerated in false cases! (1)

On January 1 every year, Dalits and Bahujans gather at Bhima Koregaon near Pune to commemorate the anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon (2)

near Pune to commemorate the anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon Battle of 1818 in which the British Bombay Native Infantry, comprising mostly Mahar Dalit soldiers, defeated the Peshwa army. This date is revered by the Dalits as a victory against the Brahminical Peshwas. (3)

But in 2018, those gatherings for the function were attacked violently by men carrying saffron flags, and one man was killed and several injured as a result. (4)

At Vadhu Budruk close to Bhima Koregaon, stones were pelted at Dalits and organised ‘social boycott’ against Dalits en route to the function. (5)

Though a large gathering of Dalit-Bahujans was fully expected at Bhima Koregaon, the police presence to protect the gathering was negligible. (6)

Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi and Sambhaji Bhide of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan led the attacks; Ekbote is a former corporator from the BJP andBhide also is close to top BJP and Shiv Sena leaders. (7)

Since then, the BJP government has used the violence inflicted by the RSS lackeys as a scapegoat for an all out attacks on the people and the Constitution. (8)

Several activists and intellectuals have been arrested on fabricated charges under the draconian UAPA. (9)

Teachers and intellectuals like Hany Babu, Anand Teltumbde, Shoma Sen, Rona Wilson, Gautam Navlakha among others languish in jail while Milind Ekbote and the saffron goons roam free! (10)

We remember Stan Swamy! We remember your crimes in Bhima Kroegaon! Long live the battle of Dalits against caste system! Free all political prisoners!

AISA

Also Read:
● Karni Sena demands demolition of Bhima Koregaon memorial, ban on annual celebration (Scroll.in / Dec 30, 2022)
● Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati│ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
● The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
● Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 30, 2018)

Killing Father Stan with lies

26/12/2022 Asha

Midday.com / by Ajaz Ashraf

Stan had, during interrogation, claimed that the evidence against him was ‘interpolated’, as he wrote in his book I Am Not A Silent Spectator; but NIA did not believe him. Now a forensic firm has confirmed it.
Late Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy wrote a slim book, I Am Not A Silent Spectator, before he was arrested on October 8, 2020. In the book, Stan details the questions sleuths from the National Investigation Agency asked him over 15 hours of interrogation spread over five days—and the answers he gave. He scoffed at the documents they said had been extracted from his computer, insisting these were “interpolations”.
Read more

Also read:
● Hackers Planted Files to Frame an Indian Priest Who Died in Custody (Wired / Dec 13, 2022)
● And the future of Stan Swamy (Midday.com / Oct 2022)

I am not a silent spectator

An autobiographical fragment, memory and reflection

Indian Social Institute / By Stan Swamy

Publisher: Indian Social Institute
First published in 2021
140 pages
Download pdf