“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” – Desmond Tutu
The quote applies more appropriately to Canada that claims to be a human rights leader in the world considering its indifference toward some recent ugly events that unfolded in India.
Widely known as the world’s largest democracy, India is going through an era of intolerance and blatant repression of minorities and political dissidents under a right wing Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Attacks on non-Hindus, particularly Muslims have grown ever since Modi came to power with a brute majority in 2014. Apart from that there has also been an increase in the attempts to stifle any voice of dissent. Anyone who tries to stand up against injustice and challenges the power through democratic means is branded as seditious and thrown into jail by using draconian laws. The recent attempts to muzzle voice of resistance by the intelligentsia are particularly disturbing. And yet, Canada continues to overlook what is happening in that part of the world. This is in sharp contrast to its rather prompt response to a similar situation in the neighbouring Pakistan.
The latest casualty of this complacency is Anand Teltumbde- a well-respected columnist and social justice activist who is married to the granddaughter of the architect of the Indian constitution and a towering scholar Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Teltumbde was arrested on February 2 in complete violation of the Supreme Court orders. He earlier faced arrest after being charged under a draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for raising voice for the poor and marginalized.
He was charged last year, while five other activists like him were arrested and detained across India. Those arrested were a Telugu poet and a political activist, Varavara Rao, and human-rights lawyer Sudha Bhardawaj. Others taken into custody were two published authors, Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira, and a former Mumbai college professor, Vernon Gonsalves.
Teltumbde escaped the police dragnet as he was away, while his house was raided in his absence.
They were all accused of being the sympathizers of the Maoist insurgents, and worse.
Teltumbde’s plea for quashing the police case was rejected by the Supreme Court on January 14. The court had given him four weeks to file for pre-arrest bail. However he was arrested much earlier in clear defiance of the apex court’s orders. There are apprehensions that he might face the same fate as Delhi University Professor, GN Saibaba – who continues to be imprisoned under UAPA despite being ninety percent disabled below the waist. His continued incarceration under inhuman conditions has already drawn criticism from United Nations human rights experts. A petition signed by hundreds of people in Metro Vancouver asking for Canadian intervention in that matter was also ignored.
What binds all these individuals together is their deep involvement in advocacy for the underdog, especially Adivasis (indigenous peoples). They continue to face displacement from their traditional territories by the extraction industry looking for access to mineral-rich lands with the backing of the state.
Maoist insurgents who’ve been active in tribal areas have a big following among Adivasis, who often take up arms due to the high-handedness of the police and security forces. Many Adivasis see Maoists as protectors in their fight for survival from barbarity of the state.
Police have not only branded those recently arrested as “urban Naxals”, but some of them are being accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These allegations have been strongly refuted by their relatives and supporters, who believe that all this is being done to stifle voices of dissent and win sympathy for Modi, who might face a tough general election this year.
Any genuine criticism of uneven development and growing impoverishment can invite the wrath of the Indian state. Those questioning the power are frequently branded as “anti-nationals” or “urban Naxals”.
Teltumbde has a big following in Canada where many groups of social justice activists within the South Asian community had invited him in 2016. On January 27, several South Asians came together to protest against his continued harassment and raise voice against his possible arrest at Holland Park in Surrey under the banner of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India that was established in response to growing attacks on diversity in India under a right wing regime, while a group of activists also wrote a letter to the Foreign Affairs Minister Christiya Freeland seeking her intervention.
But Canadian government failed to stand up. So much so, the elected officials invited for the rally and urged to make a statement remained silent and never showed up. They included both federal and provincial politicians. This is despite the fact that most of them are of Indian origin and completely understand the circumstances in the county of their birth. Nevertheless, some of them did show up a night before at a dinner hosted by the Indian diplomats to celebrate India’s Republic Day.
Unfortunately, some of these politicians had met Teltumbde when he was visiting Canada, but have not dared to say a word when they were approached to show solidarity. It’s a shame that some of these individuals happened to be a part of the labour movement before jumping into electoral politics and often projected themselves as supporters of international brotherhood and champions of the underdog on global issues. In fact, they had wined and dined with Teltumbde when he was here, and displayed lot of respect for his good work. But in the end they understandably preferred to remain quiet so as not to annoy the government of India whose influence has been growing worldwide in a free trade environment. It is hard to say if their intervention would have prevented the arrest of Teltumbde, but their deafening silence during the situation leading to his arrest clearly reflects very poorly on them.
In a McCarthy era-like witch hunt of political dissidents under a fascist regime, Teltumbde’s arrest is aimed at creating a fear among those fighting for social justice.
Canada’s lack of interest only proves one thing that it has chosen to be on the side of the oppressors in New Delhi. If Canadian politicians have any conscience, they should at least listen to the words of Bishop Tutu – whose ally Nelson Mandela was given honorary Canadian citizenship by this country. Or stop pretending to be the flag bearers of human rights.