LONDON – Over 200 prominent citizens from the United Kingdom – artists,journalists, lawyers, politicians and over 50 senior academics – havesigned an open letter condemning the ‘dictatorial and majoritarian agenda’being pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi government,The Wire India reported.
According to an article published with New Delhi, date line in The WireIndia, these include British MPs cutting across various political parties,including the Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, the GreenParty’s Caroline Lucas, the Scottish National Party’s Brendan O’Hara(spokesperson on International Human Rights), and sitting members of theHouse of Lords, including Shami Chakrabarti (former director of civilliberties group Liberty).
The British signatories have expressed solidarity with “courageousactivists in India who are opposing this vicious regime”.
The many prominent cultural figures supporting this letter include DannyBoyle (director of Slumdog Millionaire), filmmaker Ken Loach, actressMaxine Peake, musician Lowkey, novelist Hari Kunzru, cultural producer TobiKyeremateng, environmentalist George Monbiot and writer Paul Gilroy, theWire India said.
It further said dignificantly, a number of British-Indian cultural figureshave also signed their names – journalists (Ash Sarkar, Angela Saini),writers (Nikesh Shukla, Preti Taneja, Sandeep Parmar, Jemma Desai),musicians (Adam Bainbridge, Kapil Seshasayee, Sarathy Korwar), andtheatre-makers (Tanika Gupta, Vinay Patel, Anjli Mohindra, Rakhee Thakrar,Milli Bhatia).
The Wire India quoting the statement/letter further reported that the Modiled regime has incarcerated student protestors, feminist campaigners, humanrights activists and prominent civil society figures.
Many arrests were made on the basis of emergency laws that have noaccountability, like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), theWire India said.
It added that in some cases, patently absurd charges of rioting wereconcocted to frame activists whose protests have always been peaceful andconstitutional.The Wire India further quoting the letter also reported that thiscriminalisation of dissent has intensified in unprecedented ways in recentmonths.
Arrests have been made under the cover of the COVID lockdown, while thepandemic rages across India, the Wire India said.
The callous BJP-led Modi government has not only failed its vulnerablepopulation of migrant workers but also exposed activists to India’sunsanitary jails, which are breeding grounds for disease.
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Several imprisoned activists have already caught the virus, the Wire Indiareported.
The Wire India further reported that meanwhile, the BJP leaders have madeinflammatory hate speeches calling for vigilante attacks on anyoneprotesting the regime.
There is mounting evidence that police forces were complicit in abettingand committing brutality against Muslims in horrific riots instigated inDelhi in March, the Wire India said.
The Wire India further reported that once again, the actual perpetrators ofviolence are evading accountability.
The Modi regime, the Wire India added that was systematically destroyingIndia’s constitutional democracy in pursuit of its dictatorial andmajoritarian agenda.
“India’s image in the world has never been so tarnished”, the Wire Indiaremarked.
“We stand with the courageous activists in India who are opposing thisvicious regime and call for the immediate release of all politicalprisoners”, the Wire India reported quoting the letter said.
