16 April 2026


WE DEMAND QUASHING OF BOGUS FIR NO. RC-01/2023/NIA/LUCKNOW INTENDED FOR THE WITCH-HUNTING OF ACTIVISTS ACROSS NORTHERN STATES, SIMILAR TO THE BHIMA KOREGAON CASE !!

We, the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), express grave concern over the continued targeting of labour rights activist Shiv Kumar, who has recently been issued a notice by the NIA under the so-called “Lucknow Conspiracy Case.”

This is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader and dangerous pattern of repression. The Lucknow Conspiracy Case has already been used to target students, advocates, human rights defenders, and labour rights activists across multiple states. The inclusion of Shiv Kumar in this case reflects the expanding scope of this crackdown—aimed at silencing dissent and weakening working-class movements.

Arrest of Priyanshu Kashyap, Advocate Ajay and Vishal Singh— Part of the Same Crackdown

In July 2025, the NIA arrested Priyanshu Kashyap, a labour rights activist and former Delhi University student associated with the Delhi General Mazdoor Front (DGMF), from Hisar (Haryana), in connection with the same case. His arrest is part of a broader pattern of harassment and suppression of activists working among workers, peasants, Adivasis, Dalits, and marginalized communities. The continued targeting of such individuals under vague conspiracy charges demonstrates that this case is being used as a political tool to criminalise dissent.

Systematic Targeting of Labour Rights Activists

This case has increasingly become a mechanism to target labour organisers and grassroots activists. Several labour rights activists are being surveilled, harassed, and implicated under sweeping allegations of “conspiracy” and “extremist links,” without transparent or credible evidence. The targeting of Shiv Kumar, who has been working for over a decade with the Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan in the Kundli industrial area of Sonipat, Haryana, reflects a deliberate attempt to suppress working-class mobilisations in the Delhi-NCR region.