Skip to main content

Known for shaping various social movements, Dr Navsaharan being mercilessly targeted

By Harsh Thakor 

Dr. Navsharan, writer, democratic rights activist, a resilient supporter of people's struggles and the daughter of renowned playwright Late Gursharan Singh, is being mercilessly targeted by the Modi government for revealing the truth. It is a manifestation of the trend engulfing nation of attack on intellectuals and democratic rights activists across the country, Dr. Navsharan was interrogated under the PMLA Act and an attempt was made to crush and bully her in the name of an inquiry. Modi Govt driven Enforcement Directorate (ED) has harassed the well known Cultural and Social activist Dr. Navsharan, by grilling more than 8 hours Like the UAPA, PMLA also gives the government unlimited powers to crush the democratic rights of any person.
Dr. Navsharan is the member of AIUFWP Advisory committee on Women and Cultural issues. Dr. Navsharan has been renowned for her contribution in shaping various social movements and cultural movements across the Country. She is daughter of the iconic cultural activist and we'll renowned dramatist Gursharan Singh alias Bhai Manna Singh, who had, made a phenomenal contribution in raising the cultural and political awareness of the masses all through his life. Dr. Navsharan has been engaged in social and political movements since her childhood along with her parents. She has been a staunch fighter for the farmer and peasant rights and also has lent her support to the Forest Right Movement and Women Movement.
Dr. Navsharan has been an active revolutionary intellectual in the field of democratic rights for almost two-and-a-half decades. and one of the leading supporters of the historic peasant struggle on the borders of Delhi. Not only did she relentlessly participate in the Delhi sit-in, but she invested every ounce of her energy to share the experience of the farmers' struggle with the struggling people of different countries of the world Dr. Navsharan is one of the most vocal intellectuals or boldest voices of the country speaking out against the brutal fascist tirade of the Modi government on the ordinary people.
In recent times Navsaharan has been championing the cause of trust Aman Biradari, founded by Harsh Mander.
Leaders like Amolak Singh and Kanwaljeet Khanna of Punjab Loksabhyacharak Manch ,Joginder Singh Ugrahan of BKU(Ugrahan) and Balbir Longowal of Democratic Teachers Front in no uncertain times condemned the subjecting of Dr Navsharan to such harassment or victimisation.
All democrats should condemn the Modi government to wash their hands off Dr. Navsharan and immediately cease her harassment in the name of inquiry. The nefarious attempts to suppress the democratic voices backing the working people must cease,abruptly.. All the people movements of Punjab are standing alongside Navsharan.
The grilling undertaken by the ED department for more than 8 hours is a gross violation of the fundamental rights of Dr. Navsharan as the citizen of this Country. By interrogating her for such long hours in their office it is a violation of Art. 21 and Art. 19 of the Constitution that guarantees “Right to personal Liberty “and “Right to freedom of expression". Dr. Navsharan has devoted her entire life for the upliftment of the poor and socially deprived sections and been a committed writer.
This act of ED is a barbaric act to target the intellectuals and activists to pave way for the fascist regime to eradicate all the dissenting voices that questions the present fascist Government. Dr. Navsharan was summoned under the PMLA Act (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), which itself is a mockery. The present regime is the one that is endorsing rapists like Brijbhusan, rapist of Bilkis banu, and deep corruption of party leaders of BJP were responsible. No action is being undertaken by this govt. for, demolition of houses of Muslim communities, annihilating its own citizens by introducing g CAA- NRC legislation, corrupt officials involved in bribery, atrocities against dalit communities illegal arrest of famous academicians, authors, officers, journalists and activists in Bhima Goregaon case.
There are hundreds and thousands of incidents of violence perpetrated by this present regime but there is no justice granted to any one and it is quite evident that those who are raising their voice against such atrocities and injustices are squashed as happened in the case of Dr. Navsharan. Today hundreds and thousands of civil society activists, lawyers, journalists, political activists and other activists fighting for the democratic rights are being mercilessly targeted to crush their voice.
Dr Navsharan’s voice represents the aspirations of the oppressed masses while her being targeted manifests the wave of neo-fascism of the saffron brigade, at it’s crescendo.
---
Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who has been in touch with human rights movement in India for long

Comments

TRENDING

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah  Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative   A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan  The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh. 

From protest to proof: Why civil society must rethink environmental resistance

By Shankar Sharma*  As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Kolkata event marks 100 years since first Communist conference in India

By Harsh Thakor*   A public assembly was held in Kolkata on December 24, 2025, to mark the centenary of the First Communist Conference in India , originally convened in Kanpur from December 26 to 28, 1925. The programme was organised by CPI (ML) New Democracy at Subodh Mallik Square on Lenin Sarani. According to the organisers, around 2,000 people attended the assembly.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...