They Would Have Arrested Gandhi: Ramachandra Guha On Raids On Activists
NEW DELHI, August 28: Author and historian Ramachandra Guha today lashed out at the government over the countrywide raids and arrest of activists, calling it a "brutal, authoritarian, oppressive, arbitrary. illegal act" by the Maharashtra police. Speaking to NDTV after the arrest of five well-known activists and intellectuals, Mr Guha blamed it on the "corporate cronies of the ruling government," who, he said, were bent on grabbing tribal land, forest and mineral resources. The arrest of the activists was meant to take away the only representation the tribals have, he said.
Through the day, the Pune police had conducted raids on the homes of nine activists across five cities, which ended with the arrest of five - Varavara Rao, lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, and activists Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves. The police said the arrests were linked to last year's Bhima Koregaon violence, in which Dalit activists had clashed with upper-caste Marathas.
In June, five people -- Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Shoma Sen -- were arrested for allegedly making "provocative" speeches at an event in at Bhima Koregaon village in January, which, the police said, triggered violence. Today's raids were carried out on basis of what they said during interrogation, the police said.
Mr Guha told NDTV that he knew some of those arrested and while he did not always agreed with them, he knew that they "never themselves preached or practiced violence".
"But these are people who represent the country's disenfranchised and the dispossessed," he said. "What is happening in the adivasi heartland of india... it is murder, rape, physical, natural, social... and these were the lawyers representing the tribals... and their arrest leaves those dispossessed unrepresented in court," he added.
As a biographer of Gandhi, I have no doubt that if the Mahatma was alive today, he would don his lawyer's robes and defend Sudha Bharadwaj in court; that is assuming the Modi Sarkar hadn't yet detained and arrested him too
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) August 28, 2018
Intellectuals and professionals including author Arundhati Roy and Indira Jaising have criticized the arrests in harsh terms. Earlier today, Indira Jaising tweeted: "One day there will be no one left to defend the rule of law,one day there will be no rule of law left to defend."
Ms Roy, in a statement, compared the arrests to the 1975 Emergency. "It is as close to a declaration of an Emergency as we will ever get," read a statement from the Booker-prize winning author.
Mr Guha, however said, he needed to make his stand clear. "The witch hunt against activists was was started by Congress, this government taking it further," the historian had added.
Courtesy: ndtv.com
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'Strong evidence' available against Saif attacker, police tell court while opposing his bail plea
Mumbai, Jul 25 (PTI): Police have opposed the bail plea of the Bangladeshi national arrested for allegedly stabbing Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan with a knife and injuring him at his home here in January this year, telling a Mumbai court there was "strong evidence" against the accused.
Citing a Forensic Science Laboratory report, police reiterated before the sessions court their earlier claim knife fragments that got lodged near the actor's spine during the attack as well as a part found at the crime spot have matched with the weapon recovered from the accused, Shariful Islam.
These three pieces were part of the same weapon (knife) used to attack the filmstar, the police said in a written response to the accused's plea submitted in the court on Thursday (July 24).
Khan was repeatedly stabbed with a knife by an intruder inside his 12th floor apartment in upscale Bandra on January 16 during a robbery attempt.
The 54-year-old actor underwent surgery at Lilavati Hospital to remove a piece of knife that got lodged near his spine during the attack. He was discharged from the private hospital after five days.
Shariful Islam, a Bangladeshi national, was arrested two days later for allegedly stabbing Khan.
The police, in their response, highlighted that the accused is a Bangladeshi citizen residing illegally in India.
If granted bail, there was a possibility that he may flee India and not appear before the court during the trial. The crime committed by the accused is of a "very serious nature, and strong evidence" is available against him, they argued.
In his bail plea, filed through advocate Vipul Dushing, the accused asserted he was innocent and had no prior criminal record.
Investigation into the case has practically concluded with only the filing of a chargesheet pending, the accused contended while seeking bail.
The alleged attacker has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections related to house trespass, robbery and dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous injury.
