Political Prisoner News: Stand in Solidarity with Dalit activist political prisoners!
Posted on April 6, 2013 by reed
by the Democratic Student Union, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 6 April 2013
Stand in solidarity with the members of Kabir Kala Manch! Resist the branding, persecution and witch-hunt of people’s artists and activists!
The disgust grows in the belly, the untouchable disgust
It’s there in the flower buds, it’s there in sweet songs
That a man should drink another man’s blood,
This is the land where this happens
This is the land of hellish nausea
– Excerpt from a song written by Sheetal Sathe
किस किस को कैद करोगे?/ लाखों हैं मुक्ति के पंछी, कैद करोगे किसको
लेकर पिंजरा उड़ जाएंगे खबर न होगी तुझको/ इस पिंजरे की सलाखों का लोहा हमने ही निकाला है
ये लोहा पिघलाने हमने अपना खून उबाला है/लोहा लोहे को पहचानेगा, फिर क्या होगा समझो
लेकर पिंजरा उड़ जाएंगे खबर न होगी तुझको
- From Deepak Dengle’s poem ‘Kis Kis Ko Kaid Karoge’ penned by him in jail
Three days back, Sheetal Sathe and Sachin Mali of the Kabir Kala
Manch (KKM) courted arrest outside the Vidhan Sabha Bhavan in Bombay. In
May 2011, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested two of KKM
members Deepak Dengle and Siddharth Bhosle and charged them under
various sections of the draconian UAPA. The charges against them were
that they were Maoists who spreading issues of caste oppression and
social and economic inequality. For the last two years, all that the
prosecution could present in the court as evidence to prove its claims
were some books and the fact that KKM highlighted the wrongs present in society and the need to change it through their songs, plays and music.
This witch-hunt that the state subjected KKM to so as to prevent them
for performing and taking its message to the people forced its other
members to go into hiding, and the state had declared them as
‘absconders’ since. This witch-hunt by the state of Kabir Kala Manch
singers, a group of young Amberdkarite singers, faced a determined
opposition from the progressive and democratic sections and eventually
forced the court to grant bail to its arrested members. In a landmark
judgement, the Maharashtra High Court observed that highlighting issues
of social and economic inequality, far from being a crime, is
commendable. Questioning the
logic that leads anyone raising issues of social inequality and caste
oppression being branded a Maoist, the judgement interestingly observed
that such a reasoning “would indicate that these issues, which are real and important,
are not addressed to by anyone else, except the CPI-Maoist” and all
“the other parties or social organisations are indifferent to these
problems faced by the society!” While courting arrest on Tuesday,
Sheetal Sathe and Sachin Mali have made it clear that this should not
be perceived as ‘surrender’ and all they expect is a fair trial without
they being subject to any torture and physical abuse. Read more »
Filed under: India | Tagged: ambedkar, ambedkarite, dalit activists, democratic student union, india, kabir kala manch, Political Prisoners, REPRESSION OF CULTURAL WORKERS, sachin mali, sheetal sathe | 1 Comment »
Political Prisoner News: Naxal prisoners in India on Hunger Strike
Posted on April 6, 2013 by reed
[Amid estimates of 100,000 political prisoners in India, and an additional 70,000 Kashmiri political prisoners, ongoing waves of the prison movement across India is rarely reported. Here, an incident this week broke into the news. -- Frontlines ed.]
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Naxal prisoners on hunger strike
April 6, 2013, Times of India
NAGPUR: Around 49 Naxals, lodged in Nagpur Central Jail, would observe a day’s hunger strike on Saturday. The prisoners have decided to participate in the hunger strike to protest thrashing of another Naxal inmate Anil Gawande by jail officials. Gawande was manhandled by the officials for refusing a body search.
Gawade and two others, after returning from Gadchiroli following
their hearing, were told by the jail authorities to go for a body search
before entering the jail premises. While two others allowed, Gawade
disagreed to disrobe before the jail officials who wanted to conduct a
thorough search. Sources informed that the enraged jail officials badly
thrashed Gawade who was later admitted in the prison hospital with
injuries.
After learning about Gawade, the other Naxal prisoners, including 10 women, decided to observe a hunger strike.
After learning about Gawade, the other Naxal prisoners, including 10 women, decided to observe a hunger strike.
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