Demand to release political prisoners held under UAPA in Hyderabad Central Prison

Counterview Desk

The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)*, condemning what it calls "inhuman treatment" of three political prisoners by the jail authorities of Chanchalguda Central Prison, Hyderabad, has said that despite getting bail, they are kept in jail after registering fresh charges against them.

CASR reports, two of them, Amitabh Bagchi and Gangadhara Rao (both above 70), held under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), are having serious health issues, yet have been forced to begun a hunger strike demanding that their cells be opened during the day.

Text:

Campaign Against State Repression has been informed by the Hyderabad-based advocate, Jabali, that political prisoners Amitabh Bagchi (72), Gangadhara Rao (over 70), and Rajkumar (26), held under UAPA in Chenchalguda Central Prison, have begun a hunger strike demanding that their cells be opened during the day.

As informed by Jabali, Amitab Bagchi, who suffers from severe health issues -- including glaucoma, spinal arthritis, and significant vision loss -- was granted bail by the Karimnagar Sessions Court after 13 years as an under trial prisoner. However, the very same court reversed its own decision without any new facts and circumstances or violation of bail. Additionally, Bagchi’s surety, renowned Telugu writer Hussain, was arrested prior to the bail cancellation.

Gangadhara Rao, arrested with his wife eight months ago, was granted default bail due to the police's failure to file a charge sheet or request a 90 days extension. Despite this, the Sessions Court stayed the bail, and the case has faced continuous adjournments without the filing of a charge sheet. This ongoing delay appears to be a tactic to harass the prisoners.

Rajkumar faces repeated legal challenges. After securing bail in one case, he is immediately presented in another case to extend his imprisonment.

These prisoners are currently held in solitary confinement in Narmada Barrack, Chenchalguda Jail, and are protesting by refusing food. They are confined to their cells throughout the day, violating various High Court and Supreme Court rulings against solitary confinement.

Jabali added that Mula Devender Reddy, who is in the jail hospital, has lost vision in one eye and has only 5 feet of vision in the other. He needs a magnifier and telescope to perform daily activities effectively. Devender Reddy has an order from the court permitting him the use of these aids. Despite this order, Devender Reddy was not provided with the magnifier until Jabali issued a legal notice to the Superintendent, threatening contempt of court. The magnifier was eventually supplied this morning. However, the Superintendent has not complied with the court's order for a medical examination of Reddy by an eye doctor.

Additionally, Devender Reddy was not permitted to access his bail petition papers. These issues were detailed in the legal notice, but despite receiving it, only the magnifier was provided. As a result, Reddy has been unable to file his bail petition.

CASR demands an immediate end to this mistreatment and calls for the restoration of the prisoners' rights and humane treatment. We demand Immediate release all these political orisoners.

---

*AIRSO, AISA, AISF, APCR, ASA, BAPSA, BBAU, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, COLLECTIVE, CRPP, CSM, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, , NAPM, NAZARIYA , Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Samajwadi Lok Manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Manch, SFI, United Peace Alliance, WSS,Y4S

Comments

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 ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra* It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Women's rights leaders told to negotiate with Muslimness, as India's donor agencies shun the word Muslim

By A Representative Former vice-president Hamid Ansari has sharply criticized donor agencies engaged in nongovernmental development work, saying that they seek to "help out" marginalizes communities with their funds, but shy away from naming Muslims as the target group, something, he insisted, needs to change. Speaking at a book release function in Delhi, he said, since large sections of Muslims are poor, they need political as also social outreach.

Sardar Patel was on Nathuram Godse's hit list: Noted Marathi writer Sadanand More

Sadanand More (right) By A Representative In a surprise revelation, well-known Gujarati journalist Hari Desai has claimed that Nathuram Godse did not just kill Mahatma Gandhi, but also intended to kill Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Citing a voluminous book authored by Sadanand More, “Lokmanya to Mahatma”, Volume II, translated from Marathi into English last year, Desai says, nowadays, there is a lot of talk about conspiracy to kill Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, but little is known about how the Sardar was also targeted.

Bihar’s land at ₹1 per acre for Adani sparks outrage, NAPM calls it crony capitalism

By A Representative The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has strongly condemned the Bihar government’s decision to lease 1,050 acres of land in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district, to Adani Power for a 2,400 MW coal-based thermal power project.

Counterview

Search This Blog