Hundreds join Free Gulfisha Campaign in India, abroad, perform her poems

Counterview Desk

On April 9, Gulfisha Fatima marked five years in prison under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). She was arrested for her involvement in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). During her time in Tihar Jail, Gulfisha has written poetry that reflects themes of resistance, memory, and defiance.

Her poetry is claimed to have inspired readings, translations, songs, and artwork shared across social media platforms and performed in various cities. Week-long events are said to have amplified her voice and highlighted the importance of solidarity in the face of adversity.

A statement by Free Gulfisha Fatima Campaign:

***

On 9th April this year, Gulfisha Fatima, a young Muslim woman from North East Delhi and a Delhi University graduate had spent 5 long years imprisoned as an undertrial prisoner under the draconian UAPA - jailed on entirely fabricated charges for her role in the peaceful movement for equal citizenship against the CAA-NPR-NRC. From her tiny cell in Tihar Jail No. 6, Gulfisha, lovingly known as Gul, has penned deeply poignant, heart-wrenching poetry - poems that rage, remember, and resist.

In response to the campaign demanding Gulfisha's release, something really special and extraordinary has unfolded over the last few days. Gulfisha's defiant verses have stirred countless hearts sparking a wave of solidarity. Activists, lawyers, students, scholars, journalists, writers, poets, artists, theatre practitioners, actors, film-makers, friends and common citizens - have come together to demand her release. The FreeGulfisha social media accounts are becoming a growing archive of resistance - flooded with impassioned readings of Gul's poems and powerful artwork inspired by her writings. Gul's poems have been read aloud in homes and classrooms, in streets and parks. They are being translated into multiple languages Telugu, Bengali, Punjabi and more. Her poetry is being composed into hauntingly beautiful songs. Poetry reading events were organised in Jaipur, Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Dharamshala and Churu, even internationally in Birmingham, Amsterdam & Hague - many more are being planned.

What began as a campaign to help Gul's voice break through prison walls has transformed into something profoundly moving and momentous. Her words have not only flown free-they have set us free too. In the wake of brutal state repression and arrests, a paralysing fear and enforced silence had gripped many of us. Gul's tender and resilient verses have helped us confront that fear within to rekindle our courage. It has been heartening to witness the large number of young women across the country and abroad who have come forward to extend support to the campaign. Her poems have not only carried her voice beyond the bars-they have inspired so many others into speech, remembrance and resistance. Her writings have given us a voice.

Some prominent names that have extended solidarity to Gul include: Ratna Pathak Shah, Swara Bhaskar, Naseeruddin Shah and Zeeshan Ayyub from Bollywood, film-makers Shonali Bose and Sanjay Kak, journalists Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Rana Ayyub and Paranjoy Guha, senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, writers Amitava Kumar and Aakar Patel, academics Uma Chakravarty, Nivedita Menon, Sayeda Hameed and Roop Rekha Verma, Sadhna Arya, theatre practitioners Maya Rao and Danish Husain, poets Amir Aziz, Jacinta Kerketta, Akhil Katyal, Sabika Abbas Naqvi and Nabiya Khan, student leaders Dhananjay, Gurmehar Kaur, activists Vasantha Kumari, Teesta Setalvad, Lalita Ramdas, Chayanika Shah, Navsharan Singh, and Madhu Bhushan.

Gulfisha's bail application has been unjustly pending in the Delhi High Court for almost three years, without a verdict. Despite the long incarceration and inordinate judicial delays, Gul has refused to surrender. On completing 5 years of this unjust incarceration, she writes in her recent letter - "I shall celebrate this day also to mark my survival in the most bizarre circumstances of struggle."

Like Gulfisha - Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, Athar Khan, Shifa ur Rehman, Shahdab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Tahir Hussain, Saleem Malik & Saleem Munna - all charged under UAPA in FIR 59/20 continue to be incarcerated under trumped-up charges. We stand in solidarity with the struggles of all political prisoners - academics, artists and activists incarcerated for their political dissent under UAPA. We demand the repeal of UAPA, a law that is being used to attack all voices of dissent and to punish those who stand up for constitutional and democratic rights.

Link to Instagram handle: https://www.instagram.com/freegulfisha/

Link to X (Twitter) handle: https://x.com/FreeGulfisha

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

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.

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Counterview

Search This Blog