Believing in an ideology, even Maoism, is not a crime: Hem Mishra
In August 2013, the Maharashtra Police arrested Hem Mishra from Gadchiroli district. Mishra, a student of the Chinese language at the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Languages, was accused of helping Maoists. The police booked him under several sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He is also facing the charge of sedition. Social activist Prashant Rahi and Delhi University assistant professor GN Saibaba, along with three others, are also accused in the same case.
The cops say Mishra and Rahi were arrested after credible intelligence inputs. They also allege that incriminating documents and micro chips were recovered from them at the time of arrest. According to them, both Mishra and Rahi were on their way to meet senior Maoist leaders in Abujhmad forests and that the meeting was arranged by Saibaba. However, Mishra has rejected these charges. He claims to be just a cultural activist. After having been in jail for more than two years, Mishra was recently released on bail. Nowadays, he spends his time shuttling between Almora, Delhi and Gadchiroli for legal cases. Excerpts from Catch’s conversation with him…
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