Pinjra Tod, the autonomous women’s collective of students fighting for non-discriminatory and affordable education has released a statement criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime over the interrogation of children and the rampant use of the sedition law to silence criticism.
In wake of the police investigating the students of Shaheen School in Karnataka for the fourth time and arresting the mother of a student and a teacher from the institute over allegedly “insulting” the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a school play, Pinjra Tod has said that the Modi regime has stooped to a new low.
The statement by Pinjra Tod read, “The police have refused to reveal on what charges they have booked the school teacher and mother of student. The state-sponsored harassment of one of the children’s mother, who is a widowed domestic worker and the female school teacher is one of the many examples of how this regime targets weaker sections of society and silences its critics. Both women are Muslim. The trauma of the young children, parents and teachers of Shaheen School shows us the harsh repression on the free speech of Muslims and women in Modi’s India, and its disregard for the rights of children.”
The organization also condemned the sedition charges slapped on queer activist Kris Chudawala and 50 other persons in Mumbai for raising slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam. At the Mumbai Pride Solidarity Gathreing 2020 organized by the Queer Azaadi Movement (QAM), Chudawala and others had raised the slogan of “Sharjeel tere sapnon ko hum manzil tak pahunchayenge” in support of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam who had been arrested by the Delhi police over sedition charges.
Accusing the Mumbai police for dancing to the tunes of the BJP it said, “This Islamaphobic state is witch-hunting Sharjeel Imam and targeting all those who stand with Sharjeel. BJP MP Kirit Somaiya filed the FIRs against 51 people and threatened to protest if Mumbai police did not take action. Everywhere we are seeing the police dance to the tunes of BJP and act as if it is the BJP’s personal army.”
Pinjra Tod said that it stands in solidarity with the management of Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar and demanded the immediate release of Nazbunnisa and Fareeda Begum, the mother and teacher arrested in the matter.
It also said that it stands with Kris Chudawala and other queer and Trans persons who were targeted for showing their support to Sharjeel Imam.
Pinjra Tod’s concluding statement read, “We condemn this Hindutva-Fascist state for its attack on Muslims, women, children, queer folks and other critics of the Modi regime. Down with sedition and UAPA! Release all political prisoners!”
Related:
Cops question Bidar school kids for fourth time for allegedly offensive statement against PM Modi
Sedition charge on Karnataka school for anti-CAA skit
Sedition charges against 51 including transgender activist for chanting pro-Sharjeel slogans