Skip to main content

GoI 'feeling threatened' by forces which can potentially fight 'Brahmanical fascism'

Counterview Desk 
A network of civil rights and people’s organisations, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)*, has characterised the recently-imposed ban on Popular Front of India (PFI), National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO) and other organisations as “Brahmanical Hindutva fascist” move of the Government of India (GoI), calling it “onslaught on democratic dissent”.
In a statement, CASR said, the move is aimed at terrorizing and vilifying the Muslim community, adding, at the same time, the GoI is curbing any protest and demonstration against the “fascist diktat of ban”, with peoplebeing “detained and arrested.” It added, “This kind of attack on right to oppose or criticize any step of government should be conceived as an attack on the very democratic values of the people.”

Text:

On 28 September 2022, Central Government led by BJP-RSS banned the Popular Front of India, National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations, Campus Front of India, National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Rehab India Foundation, All India Imams Council, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala, as an 'unlawful association', under sub section 1 of section 3 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
This ban came after a week long crackdown of two waves of raids carried out through joint operation code named “Operation Octopus” comprising of NIA, ATS, RAW, ED, CRPF and RAF, in which almost 350 activists have been arrested or detained, many of whom have not been presented in court. The arrestees include professors, lawyers, students and community activists.
PFI and other above mentioned organisations have been banned by the Brahmanical Hindutva Fascist government because it feels threatened by each and every force that has the potential to fight Brahmanical Hindutva fascism on ground. It wants to isolate and attack every force by tagging them as “terrorist organization”, “anti-national” “urban Naxal” etc.
According to NIA’s press note dated 22nd September 2022, two rounds of raids were conducted on various locations of PFI, in 16 states, in relation with 5 cases, namely, (RC 14/2022/NIA/DLI, RC 41/2022/NIA/DLI , RC 42/2022/NIA/DLI, RC 2/2022/NIA/KOC, RC 3/2022/NIA/HYD) on Charges that PFI leaders and cadres were involved in funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training and Radicalizing people to join banned organization.
These 5 cases, alleging the cadres of providing arms training and etc., along with murder cases of Mr. Sanjith (Kerala, 2021) and Mr. Praveen Nettaru (Karnataka, 2022) are the material grounds for ban, presented by this fascist government. The allegations should be analyzed in historical context of how such cases have unfolded in later stages of trial.
The recent acquittal of 127 activists of SIMI (banned under the very law) is one such example. It is also important to bring into notice, past record of allegations of providing ‘arms training’ by the PFI members. In Bihar’s Phulwari Shareef, the police registered an FIR against PFI members in July 2022, alleging them of providing arms training, following which a vilification campaign against PFI was launched in newspapers.
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Bihar Unit, a respected civil rights organisation conducted a fact finding in the matter and found that ‘prima facie, there were no training camps held'. This frivolous framing of charges isn’t a new one and it can’t be ignored while we look at the present cases being slapped against the PFI.
The 5 cases registered by NIA under UAPA has not even been probed properly let alone go on trial, where trial itself is a punishment. Further, the above mentioned murder case allegations against PFI cadres are also not proved.
Even if the murder cases and the other 5 cases are to be proved, which is unlikely considering the less than 2 percent conviction rate of cases under Draconian Law like UAPA, it is still not a reasonable and justifiable ground for ban and stands as blatant arbitrary attack on democratic rights of oppressed minorities.
Furthermore, if India is anymore a democratic country, it should uphold the position of plurality of thoughts and dissenting views and organisations having such dissenting views rather than banning them. By arbitrarily banning organizations because of their thought process, the BJP-RSS government is making known it’s objective of dismantling any democratic ethos that this country has.
Though we do not support actions such as severing Prof. Joseph’s hand, we iterate that ban on organisations having dissenting opinion should not be accepted as an ‘attempt to safeguard democracy’.
PFI was formed to struggle on the question on socio-economic concerns of Muslim minorities and it also included in its perspective to forge broader solidarity with other oppressed and exploited groups such as Dalits and Adivasis to fight for a just society and proper representation of Muslim community in the political sphere.
The Brahmanical Hindutva fascist forces know that the broader unity of the oppressed and Exploited communities will be a force to reckon with and hence they want to break this chain of unity by attacking every link.
The repression that has been unleashed on the cadres of PFI and other organizations at unprecedented levels is matter of concern because it’s also a brutal state crackdown on democratic right to unionize and dissent. This attack should be seen as a part of continuing attack on the larger democratic movement in India and should be fought back.
The ban should be seen as a part of continuing attack on the larger democratic movement in India
What equally concerning is the targeting of NCHRO, an umbrella organisation of democratic, civil and human rights forces that has a history of working extensively on the state repression on oppressed and exploited communities, be it fact finding in programmes, indiscriminate incarceration and slapping of draconian penal charges of Muslim people, the social exclusion of Dalit people in villages of Haryana or the attack on labour struggles such as that on Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan in Kundli, NCHRO has always took a democratic position and stood by the oppressed and Exploited. It is this reason that democratic rights organization such as NCHRO has been targeted by associating it with PFI without any proof.
It is also pertinent to point out that this repression should be seen as an attack that started back with anti-CAA-NRC-NPR movement because of PFI and other organization’s role in organizing the masses and struggling against Anti-muslim and anti-democratic law brought forth by the BJP-RSS.
Since then, the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist government of Uttar Pradesh has been hell bent on portraying the PFI as “unlawful organization” and had recommended the central government to ban the organisation. This attack on a political force that resists Brahmanical Hindutva fascism, is not a first one and this spree will not end with PFI.
The draconian law UAPA that provides the state to unleash such repression, arbitrarily without any substantiation and proof, has been a tool to jail thousands of people and activist fighting for the rights of oppressed and Exploited communities. This law should be recognized as a weapon of crackdown on democratic rights and should also be fought unitedly.
Afraid of the opposition to the fascist diktat, the government has deployed hundreds of paramilitary forces and imposed section 144 in ghettoised Muslim localities such as Batla House, Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh (once the epicenter of Anti CAA-NRC-NPR movement) to terrorize and vilify the Muslim community at same time.
The Brahmanical Hindutva fascist government is hell bent to curb any protest and demonstration against this fascist diktat of ban and people are being detained and arrested. This kind of attack on right to oppose or criticize any step of government should be conceived as an attack on the very democratic values of the people.
We, Campaign Against State Repression, urge all democratic, progressive and pro-people forces to unite in this hour of Brahmanical Hindutva fascist upsurge and repression and oppose the ban on PFI, NCHRO, CFI, Women’s Front, Junior Front, Rehab India Foundation , All India Imams Council, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. We call upon the broader masses to fight against this brutal crackdown on democratic rights to unionize and dissent.
We demand the following:
  • Uplift the ban from PFI, NCHRO and all other above mentioned organizations.
  • Release all the activists arrested in the two waves of raids on PFI, NCHRO and various other organization.
  • Repeal UAPA
  • Stop witch hunt of Muslims.
  • Stop crackdown on democratic right to unionize and dissent.
---
*CASR organising team: AISF, APCR, BCM, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, BSCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, Disha, DISSC, DSU, IAPL, IMK, Karnataka Janashakti, KYS, Lokpaksh, LSI, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Mehnatkash Mahila Sangathan, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, NBS, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Satyashodak Sangh, United Against Hate, WSS

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.
Post a Comment
»

Workers' groups condemn Gujarat Ordinance increasing working hours, warn of statewide agitation

By A Representative   At a consultation organised today by the Asangathit Shramik Hit Rakshak Manch at Circuit House in Ahmedabad, leaders of major trade unions and labour rights organisations strongly opposed the Gujarat government’s recent ordinance amending the Factories Act and the draft rules notified under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code, 2020. Around 50 representatives from central trade unions, independent unions, and labour welfare organisations participated in the meeting.
Post a Comment
»

Deaths in Chhattisgarh are not just numbers – they mark a deeper democratic crisis

By Sunil Kumar  For a while, I had withdrawn into a quieter life, seeking solace in nature. But the rising tide of state-sponsored violence and recurring conflict across India has compelled deeper reflection. The recent incidents of killings in central India—particularly in Chhattisgarh—are not isolated acts. They point to a larger and ongoing crisis that concerns the health of democracy and the treatment of marginalised communities.
Post a Comment
»

'Bengali Muslim migrant workers face crackdown in Gurgaon': Academic raises alarm

By A Representative   Political analyst and retired Delhi University professor Shamsul Islam has raised serious concerns over the ongoing targeting and detention of Muslim migrant workers from West Bengal in Gurgaon, Haryana. In a public statement, Islam described the situation as "brutal repression" and accused law enforcement agencies of detaining migrants arbitrarily under the pretext of verifying their citizenship.
Post a Comment
»

Gender violence defies stringent laws: The need for robust social capital

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*  The tragic death of Miss Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, who reportedly self-immolated due to harassment, shocked the conscience of Odisha. Even before the public could process this horrifying event, another harrowing case emerged—a 15-year-old girl from Balanga, Puri, was allegedly set ablaze by miscreants. These incidents are not isolated; they highlight a disturbing pattern of rising gender-based violence across the state and the country.
Post a Comment
»

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.
Post a Comment
»

The myth of population decline: India’s real challenge is density, not fertility

By N.S. Venkataraman*   India’s population in 2025 stands at approximately 1.4 billion. In 1950, it was 359 million, rising sharply to 1.05 billion by 2000. The population continues to grow and is projected to reach around 1.7 billion by 2050.
Post a Comment
»

How natural and organic farming can be a key to combating the climate crisis

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  On July 9, while addressing the “Sahkar Samvad” in Ahmedabad with women and workers associated with cooperatives from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized that natural farming is essential for both our health and the health of the soil. This is a significant statement in the context of addressing the climate change crisis. Natural farming can play a crucial role in combating climate change. Also known as organic farming, it is a system of agriculture that can increase food production without harming the environment. Natural farming has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 35% to 50%.
Post a Comment
»

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.
Post a Comment
»