Skip to main content

Why is Maharashtra govt afraid of Gautam Navlakha: Open letter by a colleague

By A Representative
Megha Bahl, an activist with the People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), in a open letter to Gautam Navlakha, one of the five activists arrested by Maharashtra police early on August 28, but are under house arrest under a Supreme Court order, has said that arrests reflects the “fear” that appears to have gripped the ruling establishment. The fear stems from Navlakha and other activists' campaign for the deprived people.
“Looks like they are really scared of your loud voice of your folklores”, Bahl says, pointing out that she is forced to write this open letter as 65-year-old Navlakha is under house arrest. She adds, “They are really scared of you because you have stood up against the suppression of the tribals, for the interests of the workers, for the Dalits who are living daily in gutters.”
“The dictatorial government is unable to understand how a person has been working with people for so many years. Perhaps it must have noticed and monitored PUDR discussions on issues related to people's rights”, Bahl says, adding, “Of course they are scared of your speed, especially ahead of the 2019 elections, which has exposed them, one reason why they are using anti-democratic laws like UAPA against you.”

Comments

TRENDING

A fearless spirit lost: Rebecca Thomson dies at 17-hour Catalina Swim Mark

By Harsh Thakor  On July 26, 2026, Rebecca “Becky” Thomson suffered cardiac arrest while attempting the Catalina Channel Swim — a marathon open water crossing from Catalina Island to the California mainland. After swimming for 17 hours, Thomson collapsed in the water. Despite the painstaking efforts of emergency responders and the medical staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she succumbed to a devastating hypoxic brain injury and died Friday evening.

Hyderabad-based Urdu university "bars" entry of its new chancellor, who had "initiated" reforms in institute

Counterview Desk In an unusual controversy, Aslam Parvaiz, vice-chancellor of of the Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has restricted the entry of its newly appointed Chancellor, Firoz Bakht Ahmed, allegedly because he was trying to initiate reforms, including setting up of a Maulana Azad Center for Composite Culture and Progressive Studies, Model Madrasa, Center for Empowerment of Muslim Women, Course for the Development of Legal Vocabulary and Legal Consciousness in Urdu, and so on.

Did the Sabarmati riverfront make Ahmedabad more vulnerable?

By Rajiv Shah  Currently living in Los Angeles, I find myself missing Ahmedabad . Not because I miss living through the city's recent devastating floods—which, experts say, resulted from a combination of extreme meteorological events and chronic urban infrastructure bottlenecks—but because I am unable to make an on-the-spot assessment of the disaster.