‘As close to a declaration of an Emergency as we will ever get’: Arundhati Roy reacts to raids
New Delhi, August 28: Writer and activist Arundhati Roy on Tuesday reacted to the news of police raids at the homes of human rights activists in multiple cities across the country. “It is as close to a declaration of an Emergency as we'll ever get,” the Booker-prize winning author said.
On Tuesday morning, teams of the Pune Police raided the houses of activists in Mumbai, Ranchi, Hyderabad, Delhi, Faridabad and Goa. Among those whose houses were searched are Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Gautam Navlakha in New Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj in Faridabad and Stan Swamy in Ranchi. In Hyderabad, raids were reported from the homes of Varavara Rao and his family members, and two other activists, Kranti and Naseem. In Goa, Dalit scholar Anand Teltumbde’s house was raided in his absence. Police reportedly took the keys from the security guard and walked in.
Some of these activists have been detained by police. The raids are said to be connected to investigations into a public meeting organised days before caste-related violence erupted at Bhima Koregaon near Pune on January 1.
Reacting to these raids and detentions, Roy said that anybody who speaks up for justice or against Hindu majoritarianism is being made into a criminal.
“That the raids are taking place on the homes of lawyers, poets, writers, Dalit rights activists and intellectuals – instead of on those who make up lynch mobs and murder people in broad daylight tells us very clearly where India is headed,” she added.
“What is happening is absolutely perilous,” she said. “It is in preparation for the coming elections. We cannot allow this to happen. We have to all come together. Otherwise we will lose every freedom that we cherish.”
Courtesy: scroll.in
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TikTok restores service in the U.S. after Trump pledges to pause federal ban
TikTok resumed operations for its U.S. users on Sunday afternoon following assurances from President-elect Donald Trump to temporarily halt a federal ban on the app after his inauguration on January 20.
The app had faced a brief shutdown earlier in the day over “national security concerns,” with a federal order mandating its China-based parent company, Bytedance, to sever ties with its U.S. operations. However, the order allows a 90-day extension if a viable sale is in progress.
Trump, set to assume office in January, expressed a willingness to grant TikTok more time to comply with federal requirements. He suggested a joint venture in which the U.S. holds a 50% ownership stake, asserting that the app’s valuation could soar to "hundreds of billions or even trillions" of dollars.
“By doing this, we save TikTok and keep it in good hands,” Trump stated on Truth Social, his social media platform.
During his previous presidency, Trump had supported a ban on TikTok, citing security risks. His executive orders targeting Bytedance and WeChat were subsequently blocked by courts. However, Trump’s position on the app shifted during his recent campaign, as TikTok significantly boosted his popularity among younger voters.
Despite the announcement, the app remained unavailable on Google Play and Apple app stores. Uncertainty lingered as the U.S. Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the ban on Friday, enforcing it the day before Trump’s return to office
TikTok issued a statement confirming it was restoring service, thanking Trump for “necessary clarity and assurance” to its service providers. The app’s message to users declared, “TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
