This was in response to the recent arrests and filing of criminal charges against journalists who have been covering the ongoing agitation by farmers near New Delhi. Not only some journalists were detained after being booked on trumped up charges, but the female journalists were subjected to abuse and rape threats on social media by the supporters of the ruling right wing Hindutva nationalist BJP government. The farmers have been protesting the controversial farming laws that threaten their livelihood.
The PPCBC believes that there is a pattern behind the spike in attacks on free expression in India under a totalitarian regime. Ever since the BJP came to power in 2014, the attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents have grown. Apart from journalists, scholars and activists are also being arrested under draconian laws to instil fear.
They demanded that not only motivated charges against journalists be revoked, but an impartial investigation be launched into the murders of journalists, such as Gauri Lankesh by suspected Hindutva extremists. They also asked for an unconditional release of all the activists and scholars being incarcerated in the Indian jails and the scrapping of the problematic laws.
One of the demands in the memorandum asked the Indian government to stop meddling in the media affairs abroad through its diplomatic channels and stop denying visas to the journalists raising critical questions.
Others who spoke on the occasion included the club Vice President Gurpreet Singh, former President Jarnail Singh, besides senior members Khushpal Gill, Bakshinder Singh, Harkirat Singh Kular and Amarpal Singh.
The rally began with a moment of silence in memory of Charanpal Gill, a community elder and a towering human rights activist from Canada, who passed away recently. Gill had fought against racism and had dedicated his entire life to the rights of farm workers.