Dissent cannot be silenced, police assault through revenge mechanisms on student leaders must stop

Students' Federation of India condemns the Union Government's assault on the protestors who demanded the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, at different part of the country. On 28th July, the Delhi Police barged into the Central Committee Office of CPI(M), AKG Bhawan to arrest SFI All India Joint Secretary Aishe Ghosh. The officers were critically questioned and the intervention was resisted strongly by Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas and others at AKG Bhawan. This incident has exposed the undemocratic approach of the Union govt and the Delhi Police, in which they have dug up old cases as a repression mechanism to silence the voices of dissent.

Earlier during the Jantar Mantar struggle, Aishe has filed a case with the Delhi High Court on the illegal surveillance by the government and Delhi Police, particularly on the female protestors. Around 20-30 men were deployed by the Police at Jantar Mantar as photographers and videographers, despite the installation of CCTV cameras across the protest site. The case highlighted the gross violation of privacy of the protestors where they were filmed 24/7, especially the female protestors while they were drenched or sleeping. The immediate motivation of the actions towards Aishe was the refusal to end the case without the assurance for the data to be destroyed. The attempt to arrest was clearly an instance of using targeting as a revenge mechanism to force the resistance to submit to the state.

Currently the student leaders who have led the struggle that resulted in the resignation of the former Union Education Minister are served with legal notices and are being subjected to actions across the country. SFI resolutely resists any attempt to target the students through arrests, false charges and abuses. Such incidents are already reported from the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, UP, Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. The students will unitedly fight any state intervention that imposes draconian orders and facilitates undemocratic and unlawful arrests of student leaders.

Released by
Adarsh M. Saji (President, SFI)
Srijan Bhattacharyya (General Secretary, SFI)