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New Delhi, August 28: Social activists, journalists, film makers, JNU Students Union, publishers and MLA Jignesh Mevani strongly condemned the raids on the homes of social activists and intellectuals who are critical of the government and the ruling party at the centre.

In a statement, they said that the arrests of prominent personalities like Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Gautam Navlakha, Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Kranthi Tekula and others were nothing but an attempt to strike terror among those who are fighting for the justice for the marginalized. It was also an attempt by the BJP to invent a false enemy and engage in scaremongering to polarize the 2019 Lok Sabha election in its favour. Already, the government and the media houses close to the BJP have been trying to create a false narrative of Maoist conspiracy since June 2018. The government had invented a term ‘urban naxals’ to stifle any criticism of the government. “We have learnt that the Delhi Police, after arresting Sudha Bharadwaj, waited for Republic TV to arrive before taking her to the court. This simply shows that the arrests are incomplete without the accompanying sensationalist media propaganda to demonise activists, human rights activists and intellectuals”, they said.

The raids carried out on the houses of those activists were aimed at creating a spectacle as the writings and views of those intellectuals were already publicly known and well documented. It was a conspiracy to divert the attention from the gravity of the Sanatan Sanstha conspiracy to carry out serial bomb attacks on Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi. The same Sanatan Sanstha was involved in the murder of Gauri Lankesh as per the SIT investigation. The arrests were carried out to shield the murderers of Gauri Lankesh. People like Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and others who have been arrested are friends of the people who have dedicated their entire lives to the betterment of the society. With the arrest, the BJP was exposing its insecurities and its intolerance to any dissent or criticism of its policies, they said.

The arrests should be seen in continuation with the recent attacks on pro-justice voices like Swami Agnivesh, Umar Khalid and many other student activists from Delhi to Lucknow. A BJP lawmaker from Karnataka even advocated the murder of “intellectuals.” Both the arrests and the physical attacks on justice loving people must be seen in a series of attempts to stifle dissent and deny social justice. So, the government should release all the arrested activists and intellectuals immediately and drop all false and malicious charges against them as those arrests were politically motivated, they said.

JNU Students’ Union former president Mohit Pandey, former vice president Shehla Rashid Shora, journalist and author Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, journalist Neha Dixit, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, human rights activist Sanam Sutirth Wazir, documentary filmmaker Nakul Singh Sawhney, journalist and social activist Teesta Setalvad, equal rights activist Harish Iyer, social activist Swami Agnivesh, Shashi Sail of National Alliance of Women and others signed the petition.

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Comments

Several users on ‘X’ on Thursday and Friday shared claims that LPG cylinders booked at 11:45 AM were being delivered within just two hours, prompting humorous and curious reactions online. 

Meanwhile netizens quickly responded to the sudden similar bookings by many users.

One ‘X’ user tweeted, “Booked a Bharat Gas LPG cylinder at 11:45 AM today and it was delivered at my doorstep by 1:30 PM. Without any extra cash or charges. I asked the delivery guy if there was any shortage. His reply was negative. This copy is circulating 👇.”

Another user questioned the timing, asking, “How can all book at the same time?” while a separate post wondered, “Why is everyone booking LPG at 11:45 AM?”

Many netizens joked about the posts. One wrote, “Everyone is booking LPG gas cylinders at 11:45 AM, and surprisingly it’s getting delivered in two hours. IT cell has some special gas agency. Is it LPG or Naale ka Gas?” 

One urged, “Please tell these hundreds of people to book at 11:45 AM too,” sharing a photo of people standing in ques.

“Booked an Indane Gas LPG cylinder at 11:46 AM today and it wasnt delivered at my doorstep by 2:30 PM. I asked the delivery guy, why didn't he deliver. He replied cylinders were delivered only to people who booked exactly at 11:45 AM,” wrote another. 

 

One user asked, “What was the auspicious occasion to book at 11:45 AM?” while another tweeted, “I am going to book a gas cylinder at 11:45 AM tomorrow, hope Modi Ji will deliver it by 1:30.”

“I want to ask one thing… If I book an LPG cylinder tomorrow at 11:45 AM and the gas agency is unable to deliver it by 1:30 PM, will it be free like Domino’s pizza, or will I get it at some discounted price? BJP IT Cell experts, please confirm so that I can book my LPG cylinder tomorrow exactly at 11:45 AM,” said another humorously.

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