‘Maharashtra police has no understanding of Naxalism’
First published: Oct 21, 2013
Rediff.com / By Neeta Kolhatkar
A rare interview with Vernon Gonsalves, who was jailed for six years on the charge of being a Naxalite.
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Activist Vernon Gonsalves: A morning under house arrest
The Hindu / By Ajeet Mahale
Activist Vernon Gonsalves returned home on Thursday morning after a 48-hour ordeal that started at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, when his house was raided by the Pune police. Mr Gonsalves and four other activists were arrested under the various sections of the IPC and the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the five be placed under house arrest until September 6.
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Jailbird Jabbar
First published: Feb 1, 2013
The Caravanne Magazine / By Vernon Gonsalves
In 2007, the Naxal activist Vernon Gonsalves was arrested by the Maharashtra Police and charged on 18 counts, including that of waging guerilla war against the Indian state. Six years on, though now acquitted in many of these cases, Gonsalves continues to languish as an undertrial in Nagpur Central Jail, after a stint in Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail. If something fruitful has emerged from his long incarceration, it is words. In Gonsalves’s short story “Jailbird Jabbar”, the narrator—an “old class-strugglewalla”—tells us the story of Jabbar, one of the thousands of adolescents in Mumbai who live freestyle on the street, make a living from its many systems of trade, bootlegging, and barter, and sometimes fall foul of the law.
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Who Is Vernon Gonsalves, the Activist Held for ‘Naxalite’ Links
The Quint / By Mythreyee Ramesh
“Any form of freedom of expression and dissent is only tokenism. If you have ideals and they question you and your authority, then you will be arrested.”
These are the words of Sagar, who is still coming to terms with his father Vernon Gonsalves’ arrest from their residence in Mumbai on Tuesday, 28 August.
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Mumbai rights groups issue joint statement condemning illegal raids, arrests of human rights activists by Pune police
The Leaflet / Statment by civil society organisations/ groups/ collectives
“We, the undersigned civil society organisations/ groups/ collectives, have jointly convened this urgent Press Conference to condemn the appalling state actions of reprisals against noted human rights activists and intellectuals, which are clearly politically motivated and an attempt to stifle voices of dissent. The unjustified raids on and arbitrary arrests of the above public spirited individuals who have tirelessly worked for the cause of the poor and marginalized sections of society, are nothing but an attack on Indian democracy and an attempt to undermine the democratic fabric of our society.”
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„They had come to search our house and arrest my father“
Facebook post / By Sagar Abraham-Gonsalves
I experienced a familiar sense of helplessness yesterday morning. Around 6 AM our house was raided by more than 10 people from the Pune Police along with constables from our local MIDC Police Station. They had come to search our house and arrest my father.
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Will Mallya extradition woes provide incentive to rectify conditions in Indian jails?
DailyO / By Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves
The truth is that almost all Indian prisons are far from compatible with Minimum Human Rights standards.
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Fifty Years of Unreasonable Restrictions Under the Unlawful Activities Act
First published: Mar 9, 2017
The Wire / By Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves
The UAPA evolved over the years by a gradual but steady constriction of Article 19, which guarantees the fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly. A complete repeal is the only way forward.
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