Revoke the Telangana Govt. order to declare 16 democratic organizations as ‘unlawful’ | Joint Statement by Telangana Praja Assembly / Statement by Human Rights Forum (April 24, 2021)

[Posted below are statements by Telangana Praja Assembly and by the Human Rights Forum on April 24, 2021]

1.

Telangana Praja Assembly <prajaassembly.telangana[at]gmail.com>

Telangana Govt must withdraw GO-73 declaring 16 organizations as ‘unlawful’

Govt must focus its energies on addressing the pandemic health crisis

24th April, 2021: We the undersigned signatories, belonging to the Telangana Praja Assembly, a coalition of many rights organizations as well as other people’s collectives and concerned citizens are alarmed at the arbitrary and sweeping decision of the Telangana Govt. to declare 16 democratic organizations as ‘unlawful’, that too when the entire country is reeling under the most extra-ordinary pandemic and nothing can be more important than saving lives and public health now. As organizations striving for human rights for all sections of the society and believing in the constitutional values, we unequivocally condemn this measure and call upon the State Govt. to immediately withdraw the said GO. No.73 declaring these 16 organizations as ‘unlawful’.

Telangana Government has issued G.O. No.73 on 30.3.2021 under the Telangana Public Security Act, 1992 with effect from 30th March, 2021 that 16 organizations have been declared as ‘unlawful associations’.

As democratic groups who strongly believe in the freedom of citizens to organize for social justice and on various issues of state policy, we wish to state that:

• As per Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution of India, the freedom of association is available to every Indian citizen. Thus, the declaration as ‘unlawful’ of entire organizations without any specific charge against specific individuals for violating law of the land is unacceptable and undemocratic.

• To support the contention of the State that all these groups are ‘front organizations’ of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), some of the many questionable ‘actions’ mentioned in the GO are that they have been ‘encouraging or aiding persons to commit acts of violence’, ‘activists of these front affiliates are moving in urban areas, adopting urban guerrilla tactics’, they have ‘staged protests for repealing the UAPA, Farm laws and CAA/NRC’, they have been ‘demanding release of Vara Vara Rao, Prof. GN Sai Baba, Rona Wilson etc’, ‘they joined hands with several organisations and alluring the members into their folds inciting inflammatory statements, meetings, and rallies highlighting various issues against the Central and State governments’ etc. Some of these are vague and sweeping without any onus on the government to prove commission of unlawful actions. The others are actions which are the right of any Indian citizen to engage, in order to object to the actions of the central or state governments.

• Many of the reasons listed clearly indicate that the Govt does not want public-spirited organizations to raise awareness on people’s rights and the responsibility of the State. How and why is it a crime to seek the release of political prisoners like Varavara Rao or Rona Wilson or Prof. Saibaba or protest against draconian laws like UAPA? When the entire country has been protesting the anti-farmer Farm Laws and even the Telangana Govt. initially took this stand, how is protesting against these destructive laws a crime? When the Telangana Assembly itself passed a resolution against the unconstitutional CAA-NRC-NPR, how does opposing this become a reason for declaring these organizations as ‘unlawful’?

• Ever since the formation of Telangana in 2014, the attacks on the right to organize and dissent have been incessant. From the shameless closure of Dharna Chowk to the recent NIA raids on activists in the Telugu states, the democratic space to question the failures and excesses of the State in the past 7 years have shrunk completely. The actions of the Govt. are actually counter-productive and are infact pushing to the brink, organizations that seek to work in an open, democratic framework with no choice or space to organize.

• Along with the rest of India, Telangana is also facing the most severe pandemic crisis and can ill-afford to divert its resources or focus elsewhere. Our Govt. must invest all its energies and attention in ensuring maximum vaccination, increasing beds, pharma & medicare support, blood, plasma, oxygen supply etc to the Covid affected.

We hope the State Govt. appreciates the seriousness of the current situation and does not resort to any undemocratic and ill-conceived actions in these extra-ordinary times.

We urge the Govt of Telangana to reconsider its decision and immediately revoke the GO declaring these 16 organizations as ‘unlawful’.

Signed by/-

Jeevan Kumar, Human Rights Forum

Meera Sanghamitra, National Alliance of People’s Movements

Kanneganti Ravi, Rythu Swarajya Vedika

P.Shankar, Dalit Bahujan Front

S.Ashalatha, Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch(MAKAAM)

Ambati Nagayya, Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika

K. Sajaya, Caring Citizens’ Collective

M.Raghavachary, Palamuru Adhyayana Vedika

R.Venkat Reddy, Social Activist

2.

The Human Rights Forum (HRF)

Press Release

The Human Rights Forum (HRF) strongly condemns the declaring of 16 organisations by the Telangana government as unlawful associations for a period of one year. Among these organisations are the Civil Liberties Committee (CLC), Virasam, Telangana Praja Front, Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners, Tudum Debba and Chaitanya Mahila Sangam. HRF is of the opinion that this is a brazen attempt by the State to criminalise political belief and throttle dissent. It runs afoul of democratic principles.

The Telangana Public Security Act, 1992 that was invoked to declare these organisations as unlawful associations is nothing but a political instrument disguised as penal law. What it seeks to make unlawful is not violence – which has been proscribed ever since the birth of the State in history – but politics and social activism that is not palatable to the ruling dispensation. Such an approach impinges upon fundamental freedoms and is unacceptable in a democracy.

G.O. No. 73 of 30-3-2021, under which the 16 organisations were declared unlawful associations, has the effect of whittling away basic liberties and does enormous damage to the very notion of democracy. HRF sincerely hopes better sense prevails with the Telangana government and the notification is revoked forthwith.

VS Krishna S Jeevan Kumar
HRF TS&AP Coordination Committee members

24-4-2021 Hyderabad