bajwa@nacho.DEC (BAJ DTN 381-2851) (01/13/86)
Thanks, Bala for your offer to help input lengthy postings like the Kothari article. Fortunately that particular one was sent to me over our local net by Dinesh (although originally input by another friend, Kapur). I wish, though, that your offer had come a few days earlier, as I have just finished keyeing in the banned 130 page report by the Citizens For Democracy titled "Opression in Punjab -- Report to the Nation". I will post it shortly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- > PUCL questions the constitutionality of Anti-Terrorist Act >The People's Union for Civil Liberties has filed a petition in >the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the >Anti-Terrorist Act passed by the parliament last May. According >to the organization's President, Dr. Rajni Kothari, the civil >liberties group is basing its argument using the case of Dr. >Balagopal in Andhra Pradesh to show how the law can be misused >and how it threatens the fundamental rights of a citizen. > >According to a report in the Illustrated Weekly, Dr. Balagopal, >a professor of mathematics in Kakatiya university in Warangal >and general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties >Committee, was arrested in Hyderabad on November 16 on charges >of having murdered a police subinspector. > >Dr. Balagopal has played a crucial role in the last few years in >exposing the police atrocities in Andhra Pradesh. Last year >alone, he brought before the Lokayukta in Andhra 532 cases of >illegal detention and torture. He was also instrumental in >exposing the cases of fake encounters by the police in which at >least 30 deaths occurred. > >Dr. Balagopal has been arrested under the new Terrorist act; he >can be kept in police custody without trial for 1 year. It is >not known where he is at present being held. He is to be tried >in a designated court whose judges are appointed by the >government, the trial is held in camera, the witnesses produced >against him will not be identified and they cannot be >effectively cross-examined either, in passing the judgement, the >judge is not bound to make a full statement and his judgement >cannot be appealed and above all, the sentence cannot be >anything other than capital punishement if found guilty. > >A few months ago, the vice-president of the Andhra Pradesh Civil >Liberties Committee was shot dead in his clinic by armed >policemen in broad daylight, and despite a CID inquiry, none of >the policemen involved in the attack has been suspended or >transferred. > >According to the Weekly report, terrorist activities are so >loosely defined under the new act that even a morcha can be >interpreted as terrorist. "The exercise of civil liberties has >been identified with terrorism." > It's worth reading this posting a second time over. It's about time someone (the opposition parties don't seem to have it in them) stood up to the heavy handedness and opression by the government. I wish, though, that it had happened earlier also when the Indian government was ruthless in its dealings in the state of Punjab (It's a pity that it usually takes a big name to attract enough attention --- a la Rock Hudson vis-a-vis AIDS). The Citizens for Democracy's banned report (Opression in Punjab) clearly shows that there were thousands of Sikhs killed in fake encounters or implicated in false crimes. Anti-terrorist laws have been passed (under the guise of 'national unity') which make a mockery of the nation's democratic values. I hope the Civil liberties groups in India will continue to conduct such expositions all across the country -- it is very essential if we are to continue to have some semblance of a democratic, secular nation. Also, I just heard of a meeting on "Media in INdia" at MIT this Wed (15 Jan) at 7:30 pm in room 4-231 (not sure of the exact one?). It may be worth attending since it represents another dimension of our democracy that could use some shoring up.