Skip to main content

Waging war against civil society: 152 Andhra-Telangana activists named in bogus UAPA case

A Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) note following a press conference at the Press Club of India:
***
Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) held a press conference titled “Indian Democracy and Suppression of Democratic Voices" on 19th July at Press Club of India. The program discussed on the suppression of democratic voices using suppressive laws in the light of Tadwai case, where 152 activists of Andhra-Telangana were named in a bogus UAPA case, relating prominent civil rights activists including Prof G. Haragopal and even the late High Court judge H. Suresh, based on an alleged recovery of a diary, belonging to Maoists in a combing operation.
Addressing the press conference, Delhi University Professor, Nandita Narain said that the state is using draconian laws to suppress democratic voices who oppose corporate loot peoples resources. People like G N Saibaba, stan swamy who stood with adivasis against suppression have been constantly jailed. So it is the unholy alliance of corporate-state that is attacking the people and their activists. I unconditionally stand with 152 activist named in Tadwai case. I also demand release of bhima koregaon and Delhi ‘Riots’ Conspiracy case prisoners.
K Ravichander, co-convener of Forum Against Repression, Telangana, said “state is unleashing terror not only in Telangana but the whole country by using suppressive institution & laws. We call this government a “mad government” that is against adivasi, dalit, muslim & working people.” He further said that situation in Telangana is very miserable because KCR government is a B team of BJP. The separate Telangana movement’s aspiration have been betrayed by suppressing democratic spaces. Telangana has became a experiment theater for state to use suppressive laws, since Telangana armed struggle. There are cases where 200 people are booked in single UAPA cases to suppress the voices of adivasi struggle in nearby region. It is in coherence with Ajit Doval's statement of waging war against civil society. This is a modus operandi where they book 100 people in a UAPA cases and use the same narrative of Maoists leaving some document having name of accused during police raid. This is nothing new, it has been happening since 8 to 9 years but what is new is that members of civil society are being named along with high level leadership of Maoists. Tadvai case is one such case that has come to light but there are many. There are three names are mention twice such is the level of stupidity. There should be a movement to quash such bogus cases. There is need for civil society to study these kind of cases.
Prof. Haragopal could not make it to the conference but he sent a message which was presented before the attendees. The message says “The journalist world should understand the fact that there is increasing use of a draconian law against any body or every body. This law was meant to be used against terrorists. It has been turned upside down. The civilized democracies go by presumption of innocence till guilt is proved. Under UAPA the accused is guilty and has to prove his innocence. Under this law the minute state slaps the law the punishment starts as one would be behind bars minimum six months. The Telangana state a creation of a movement has misused the law extensively. In a recent case they slapped it against 152 persons which includes justice Suresh who died two years back, there are two other names who are no more. It is built so casually and callously that it sets the limit to misuse. Telangana civil society and political parties barring TRS and BJP strongly reacted. A vibrant debate is going on. Unless the civil society fights citizens rights nor democratic values are safe.”
Delhi University Professor Saroj Giri, while moderating the program, asserted that we should ask opposition parties their position on UAPA & other draconian laws. We should not just focus on cases against some activist but the laws itself. This is high time that we push this demand.
Professor Laxman Gaddam, government has unleashed two-pronged attack. Suppressive government is trying to eliminate naxalite movement by using drones and deploying military. They have conducted 4 drone strikes in 3 years now. They are unleashing war on adivasi people & disrupting their livelihood in the name of eliminating the Maoist movement. And secondly they are targeting democratic mass organization to suppress the question they raise regarding war on people. They are trying to suppress democratic mass organization & civil society that has respect of the masses & work on the mass issue. We congratulation that you have formed CASR and gaining inspiration from this we have formed forum against repression. we are also forming lawyers network to fight such bogus UAPA & TSPSA case. we also ask the political party about their position on democratic rights & draconian laws like UAPA . There is no rule of law in Telangana, they do what they want. Ravichander and I, both are accused in Tadvai case and we both have 5 to 6 bogus UAPA cases. They have identified 20 people’s organizations like DSU,TPF,TVV,VIRASAM as the Maoist organization. We demand Tadvai conspiracy case to be quashed, we demand such all bogus UAPA cases, we demand repeal UAPA.
Supreme Court Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said “if you criticize PM and the government, then one can say they represent India, so you are promoting disaffection against the nation. Such bogus cases of conspiracy to kill PM have been slapped under UAPA in Bhima Koregaon case on some of the finest democratic rights activist and are languishing for almost 5 year now. Here bail has became exception & jail has became norm which is entirely against the usual principal. He further added that “The law is draconian and it should be opposed but also the agencies that have been bestowed this supreme power, agencies like NIA. These agencies are puppet of government and hence they are targeting the activist that are opposing anti people development model and criticizing government polices. I support the demand to repeal the unconstitutional UAPA .
General Secretary of Pragatisheel Manila Sangathan Poonam Kaushik, speaking on behalf of her organization, said “we have seen activist included women activist act have been left in jail in Delhi riots case. Activist who stand with toiling masses in the anti CAA-NRC movement and Bhima Koregaon case have been jailed even in lockdown. We did signature campaign with other women organization and filed a petition to Home Ministry, NHRC and Delhi CM. The NHRC replied to us that there is no specific case of human right violation has been made out in your case, hence we cannot do any thing, on the other hand we received threat from delhi police. I am trying to say that when women collectively come out to assert democratic rights they are treated badly and with a very different approach that is brahmanical and patriarchy. I demand on the behalf of PMS that the case on 152 activist must be quashed and people incarcerated under UAPA and various draconian law must be released.
Supreme Court Lawyer and Counsel in BK case, Mihir Desai focusing on the anti-people nature of UAPA said “we should not say UAPA is misused. UAPA is perfectly used in the interest of state. It's intention is to keep people in jail without giving proper opportunity to take bail. There is no need for conviction in UAPA because process itself is a punishment”. Focusing on impunity granted to investigating agencies under UAPA, he added “there was a provision in POTA and TADA that if the law is misused by the investigation agency they can be prosecuted but there is no such provision in UAPA.” He said “there is no doubt UAPA should be opposed and struck down immediately”.
Advocate Mahadevan, who practices in Hyderabad High Court as well as Supreme Court, legal counsel in Tadvai case & also one of the accused in it, said “UAPA is nothing new. It is the successor of TADA and POTA. it is a tool to suppress political dissent and for promotion of investigating officers. There is another similar case in Andhra Pradesh, where police allegedly caught one naxalite and he told 212 names based on which, a similar case was filled. who were these 212 people, he asks. They were democratic rights activist and members of democratic mass organizations. He called upon everyone to unitedly fight against the repressive laws like UAPA.
---
Organising Team: AIRSO,AISA, AISF, APCR,BASF, BSM, Bahujan samajwadi manch, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, bSCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, Disha, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Fraternity ,IAPL, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA,Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, NBS, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad,Smajwadi lok manch, , SFI, United Against Hate, WSS,Y4S

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.
Post a Comment
»

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative   Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks. 
Post a Comment
»

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...
Post a Comment
»

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan*  An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...
2 comments
»

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor*  Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.
Post a Comment
»

46% own nothing, 1% own 18%: The truth about India’s land inequality

By Vikas Meshram *  “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.
Post a Comment
»

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar*   Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.
1 comment
»

US study links ultra-processed diets to preterm birth, sparks concern in India

By Jag Jivan   A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.
Post a Comment
»

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan*  Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.  
Post a Comment
»