Trinamool's 'fascist curtailment' of democratic rights: Arrest of Kolkata student activists

Counterview Desk
The civil rights network*, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), commenting on the recent arrest of student activists in Kolkata, has said that the move to suggests the Trinamool Congress West Bengal government has ensured “fascist curtailment of democratic rights struggle” and “overall curtailment of political dissent” in a ruthless manner.
CASR said, “During this same time period, the police failed to act when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) attacked political activists and book stall owners who had put up posters in solidarity with Palestinian national liberation movement in the same book fair.” The state government’s “politics is visible in the way it treats pro-people democratic minded activists versus fascist mobs”, it adds.

Text:

On 29th January 2024, students of the Revolutionary Students’ Front (RSF) in Kolkata, Shakhdeep and Abhinav Das, were arrested by the Bidhannagar police sent to jail till 1 February. Multiple democratic rights, such as Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and student organizations were organizing a protest at the International Calcutta Book Fair where the police unleashed violence upon the protestors and detained 14 persons.
Shakhdeep and Abhinav Das were among the detainees and later had cases lodged against them under Indian Penal Code’s 353, 186, 506 and 34. Incidences of police brutality and torture against the two have been also reported. As of our current knowledge, bail has been denied to the two on 30th January 2024 and they have now been moved to judicial custody until 1st February.
The matter began on 28th January 2024, when the students of RSF and many other social-political activists were holding a protest at the same International Calcutta Book Fair demanding the release of political prisoners Prashant Bose, Pramod Mishra, Sheela Marandi, Arun Kumar Bhattacharya, Jayita Das, Sabyasachi Goswami, Pratik Bhowmik, Montu Mallick, Manik Biswas and Amiruddin Ahmed.
CASR released a statement regarding some of these arrests recently and how the Indian state continues to violate all legal procedure and makes a mockery of its democratic rights when it brands political activists with the redtag of “Maoism.” Some of these activists are in their late 70s, with their lives now in the custody of the same Indian state that enacted the custodial killings of Pandu Narote and 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy via medical negligence.
The protest on 28th January sought to address the growing number of such arrests of political activists with the excuse of capturing “senior Maoist leaders.” The particular targets of these arrests are political activists struggling for the issues of the working class, the peasantry, oppressed women and castes as well as against the landgrab of Adivasis and the fight for jal-jangal-jameen.

Police failed to act when VHP attacked book stall owners who had put up posters in solidarity with Palestinian national liberation movement

The protest on 28th also sought the demand for immediate initiation of judicial process for these political activists, with many of them being stuck in police custody for days without any reports and information being released to their families and the public about their whereabouts. The protestors on 28th January too, were met with undemocratic suppression, with the police cancelling the protest at a short notice. The police attempted to snatch the phones of the activists and tried to undemocratically delete the recordings of their attacks on the activists during detention.
During this same time period, the police failed to act when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) attacked political activists and book stall owners who had put up posters in solidarity with Palestinian national liberation movement in the same book fair. The Mamata Bannerjee-led West Bengal government’s compliance and service to the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist forces and their politics is visible in the way it treats pro-people democratic minded activists versus fascist mobs.
The same Trinamool Congress West Bengal government has ensured that the fascist curtailment of democratic rights struggle and the overall curtailment of political dissent is ruthlessly pursued, with even the demand of release of political prisoners like Pramod Mishra, Prashant Bose, Sheela Marandi, Sabyasachi Goswami and others becoming an act warranting police brutality, torture and arrests of students.
CASR is deeply concerned about the wellbeing of Shakhdeep and Abhinav Das and condemns the police brutality and their politically motivated arrests.
---
*AIRSO, AISA, AISF, APCR, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, bsCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, Disha, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, Progressive Lawyers Association, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, NBS, Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Smajwadi Lok Manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Manch, SFI, United Against Hate, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

As India logs historic emissions drop, expert warns govt against 'policy blunders'

By A Representative In a significant development that underscores the rapid transformation of India's energy landscape, new data reveals the country recorded its largest drop in power sector emissions in 2025. However, a top power sector analyst has urged the Union Government to view this "silver lining" as a stark warning against continuing to invest in new coal, large hydro, and nuclear projects, which he argues could become "redundant" stranded assets.

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

NGO Arunoday’s journey of support and struggle: Standing firm with the distressed

By Bharat Dogra It was a situation of acute distress. Nearly ten thousand people returning to their villages during the COVID-19 pandemic had gathered at the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh near Kanha. Exhausted after walking long distances with little or no food, they were desperate for relief. Yet entry could not be granted without completing essential records and complying with pandemic rules.

How wars are undermining climate promises even as accelerating global warming

By N.S. Venkataraman* Since 1995, global climate conferences have convened annually, with the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) held in November 2024. These gatherings attract world leaders and generate extensive media coverage, raising hopes of decisive strategies to address the climate emergency. Yet, despite lofty promises and ambitious targets, the crisis remains unabated.

Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque under siege: A test of Muslim solidarity and Palestine’s future

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* In the cacophony of Israel’s and the United States’ attack on Iran, one piece of news has been buried under the debris of war: Israel has closed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. The closure, announced as indefinite, affects the third most revered mosque in the Islamic world.

Search This Blog