New Delhi: A group of public figures has condemned the decision to indict writer and activist Arundhati Roy and Kashmiri human rights activist Sheikh Showkat Hussain in a 13-year-old ‘hate speech’ case, saying that this is “yet another attempt to stifle voices of dissent”.
The case in question dates back to 2010 when an FIR was filed after a complaint by Roots in Kashmir, a Kashmiri Pandit group, which alleged that provocative speeches were made at a conference organised by the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners under the banner ‘Azadi: The Only Way’ in New Delhi.
Similar charges were brought against other individuals, including the late Kashmiri separatist Sayed Ali Shah Geelani and Delhi University lecturer Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, who was acquitted in the Parliament attack case by the Supreme Court.
“We see the sanction to prosecute Ms. Roy and Prof. Hussain as yet another move by the BJP-led government at the Centre to coerce people into submission by thwarting prominent voices of dissent. We urge all the stakeholders and concerned citizens to raise their voices against the government’s brazen attacks on freedom of expression in the guise of protecting ‘national interest’,” the group said in a statement.
The signatories include Bezwada Wilson of Safai Karamchari Andolan, Gita Ramaswamy of Hyderabad Book Trust, Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, and historians and writers like Ramachandra Guha, Bama, K. Satchidanandan, Perumal Murugan, Kannan Sundaram, and S. Anand.
ThePrint has a copy of the letter.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena had granted sanction for the prosecution of Roy and Hussain under Sections 153A, 153B, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to promoting enmity between different groups, making imputations prejudicial to national integration, and issuing statements conducing to public mischief, respectively.
In its statement, the group said nothing came of the FIR registered under various sections of IPC in 2010.
“However, now the Lt Governor has given sanction to prosecute Ms. Roy and Prof. Hussain for alleged ‘provocative’ speeches made at a conference on Kashmir. He has also made a mention of the charge of ‘sedition’ although the police had abstained from invoking it in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay all sedition matters. This betrays the intention of the ruling party to intimidate and persecute more than prosecute,” it said.
Roy had participated in a protest against the raids and arrests on the NewsClick premises, a fact which was mentioned in the letter.
“The courage with which she had sought to hold the State accountable for its crimes, and her willingness to travel to places where people have been wronged, has won her admiration across the globe. The day before the Lt Governor gave the sanction, Ms. Roy had participated in a protest against the raids and arrests on the NewsClick premises and had spoken about how the present situation in the country was more dangerous than the Emergency,” the group said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Delhi Police FIR on NewsClick alleges bid to ‘sabotage’ 2019 polls, project Arunachal as ‘disputed’