The Kathua rape and murder of a little nomad girl sent shock-waves across India and many people took to the streets to protest the grotesque crime. However, 1200 protesters, most of them Muslim, have been detained across Kerala for participating in these protests! Now civil society members including activists and academicians have released the following statement demanding their immediate release.
Statement:
The Kerala police arrested more than thousand people on April 16, 2018 in connection with the harthal seeking Justice for A. Several youths have been arrested and charged with non-bailable offences. Arresting youths belonging to various organization, and others who were democratically protesting against the Sangh Parivar forces, and accusing them of creating communal tension is highly condemnable.
While it is understood that the law must be upheld during harthals, accusing the protesters of communal polarization and arresting them on non – bailable charges is discriminatory and unethical. It is evident that the political parties in Kerala including the CPI(M) are backing the Sangh Parivar notions that the protest for A is one against the Hindu society.
There is an apparent lack of democratic growth to accept protests and gatherings that are conducted outside the conventional organizational frameworks or political backing. The Sangh Parivar forces have manipulated the conflict between protesting youth and sangh parivar forces as attack against Hindu community, and as such there needs to be an immediate release of all the accused arrested in the Malabar region during the last two days.
Reducing Democratic protests and gatherings as mere tools for political gains, and demonizing people’s protest is dangerous. We demand that the state and police to rely on evidence on such matters, and withdraw from citizens violations
Signed-
Prof. Susie Tharu (anveshi research centre, Hyderabad)
Sreerag P (President, Students Union- University of Hyderabad)
Ashique Rasool vc(Joint Secretary, Students Union – University of Hyderabad)
Sannaki Munna (President, Ambedkar Students Association)
Abdullah Asim (Vice President, students union – Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad)
Dr. Sowmya Dechamma (associate professor, university of Hyderabad)
Dr. Ranjith Thankappan (faculty, EFL University)
Prof. Jacob Tharu (retired)
Dr B Ravichandran (west cape university Johannes Berg)
Abdurahman UP ( research scholar, uoh)
Manasi ( research scholar, uoh)
Afthab Illath
Alice Abraham ( research scholar, uoh)
Anas vithura (research scholar, uoh)
Shyamolie, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia
Praveena thaali, research scholar, uoh
Dontha Prashanth , research scholar, uoh
KK Baburaj
Arpita Jaya, research scholar, uoh
Prof. MT Ansari (professor, uoh)
Brp bhaskar,
Dr. TT sreekumar (professor, efl university)
Dr. Sherin BS (faculty, efl university)
Shibi Peter
O Abdurahman (madhyamam group editor)
AK Ramakrishnan
Dr. B Rajeevan
Dr. J Devika
Dr. Varsha Basheer
Sadique Mambad , EFLU
Dr. Jenny Rowenna
Abijith (PhD Scholar Cultural Studies EFLU)
Ap muhammed Afsal
Thahir Jamal ( research scholar, uoh)
Ben j Andreas (PhD Scholar EFLU)
Dr. Hany Babu
S Irshad
Anoop VR
Nikhila Henry
Saleena prakkanam
Dr. Rekha raj
Ali kuttiadi (research scholar, uoh)
Geethanandan
AS ajithkumar
Gopal Menon
Jiyad hussain (research scholar, uoh)
Dr. Narayanan M sankaran
K Ambujakshan
CR neelakandan
Sheik muhammed karakkunnu
CK Abdul azeez
KP Sasi
Nidhin sowjanya ( dalit camera)
Binu Mathew
Rupesh kumar
Sudesh M raghu
Sreeja neyyatinkara
M Jisha
Afeeda ahmed
Gro Vasu
NP chekkutti
Umar Khalid (Student Activist)
Asad Ashraf (Senior Journalist)
Thalleppalli Praveen ( President, Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association)
Heba Ahmed (YFDA JNU)
Shihaad , Delhi
Dr. Banojyotsna Lahiri, Lady Shri Ram College, DU
Nadeem Khan, Social Activist Delhi
Khalid Saifi, United Against Hate
Waseem RS, research scholar, JNU
Thongam bipin, UoH
Sadath Husain, JNU