South Asia Citizens Web

Text of press statements by PUCL and PUDR - two of India’s major human rights organisations on 12 February 2016

The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faith) held a dharna at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, on 12 February 2016, to demand speedy trials of the murderers of Dr. Dabholkar, Prof. Kalburgi and Comrade Pansare. It is a matter of shame for Delhi that so few of its inhabitants showed up to lend their support. Photos posted here were taken by Mukul Dube

Prof. Jairus Banaji, Research Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, on February 5, 2016 he gave a lecture on ‘A short history of the employees’ unions in Bombay, 1947-1991,’ under the aegis of Centre for Labour Studies at the Durbar Hall of the Asiatic Society, Town Hall, Mumbai.

We citizens and residents of Delhi are alarmed to hear of the official decision by Government of Delhi as announced by its Minister of Tourism to hold a large scale religious ceremony in the form of Saraswati Puja on February 13, 2016 at the Central Park in the heart of Delhi. We believe that while state institutions concerned with public safety must do their duty at religious events, the state’s responsibility must end there. The government must not use public funds to sponsor religious events

We condemn in the strongest possible words the high-handed police action in JNU. This is reminiscent of the dark days of the emergency when the state had swooped down on the campus and had arrested many on false and trumped up charges. While we hold no brief for those who raised objectionable slogans, the arrested students have been charged with anti-national activities, precisely the charges on which we were also arrested during the draconian emergency.