'Target dissenting individuals': NIA conducts raids across Bengal in alleged Maoist link probe

By A Representative 

In the predawn hours of October 1, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) executed raids at 12 locations throughout West Bengal, targeting the residences of several activists in connection with alleged “Maoist links.” The agency confiscated mobile phones and laptops belonging to numerous individuals during these searches, which reportedly resulted in significant property damage. 

Several activists received notices to report for further questioning at the NIA's office in Ranchi. Among those targeted are researcher and independent filmmaker Abhijnan Sarkar, trade union activist Sudipta Pal from Asansol collieries, rights advocates Bipasha Sarkar and Sipra Chakraborty, journalist Prasenjit Charaborty, and Siddheswar Biswas, a member of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP). These individuals are involved in various causes, including student rights, women's rights, labor rights, and advocating for political prisoners. 

The current actions by the NIA are viewed as part of a broader pattern of silencing dissent and systematic repression of human rights defenders and activists advocating for marginalized communities. The recent raids stem from an FIR (RC-01/2022/NIA/RANCHI) registered by the Ranchi NIA in 2022, which marked the beginning of a crackdown on various activists. 

In a related incident, last year, on May 2, 2023, the agency had raided the residences of anti-displacement activists, including Damodar Turi and Baccha Singh, the president of the Majdoor Sangharsh Samiti (MSS). NIA officials also sealed the office of the Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA) in Ranchi, branding its members as affiliates of the Maoist party. 

Shortly thereafter, the MSS was banned, with the NIA seeking to create a narrative justifying the closure of VVJVA, linked to broader efforts to rationalize the arrest of Father Stan Swamy, a revered anti-displacement activist known for opposing the establishment of NIA offices in Ranchi. 

Today, the NIA is perceived as actively suppressing dissent under the pretext of national security. Over the past year, the agency has pursued human rights activists, trade union leaders, writers, journalists, intellectuals, poets, filmmakers, cultural activists, and women’s rights advocates, many of whom challenge the prevailing narrative of the Indian Brahmanical Hindutva state. 

Through the imposition of dubious charges, the NIA aims to instill fear and stifle opposing voices, says a Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) statement, vehemently condemning the raids across Bengal, which specifically target dissenting individuals. 

The organization called on all democratic and progressive groups and individuals to unite in opposition to the NIA's actions and to advocate for the repeal of laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which are wielded as tools against dissenting voices.