A public meeting was organised by Janhastakshep in collaboration with the Press Club of India on December 10 on the occasion of ‘International Human Rights Day’
Abdul Bari Masoud | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Prominent rights defenders, journalists and lawyers flagged the increasingly grim human rights situation in the country. Speaking at a public meeting on ‘‘Defending Human Rights for Building Democracy” they underlined that even as dissent continues to be criminalised, “bail” has been repeatedly denied to students, political and human rights activists, Dalits and Muslims incarcerated under draconian laws like UAPA and the judiciary is increasingly casting its mantle with the party in power with judgments.
The well-attended public meeting was organised by Janhastakshep in collaboration with the Press Club of India on Tuesday (December 10) on the occasion of the ‘International Human Rights Day.’ The Convener Janhastakshep, Vikas Bajpai, introduced the topic ‘‘Defending Human Rights for Building Democracy’. The meeting was held in an environment of piling human rights abuses, even as accountability has yet to be fixed for previous ones.
Among those who addressed the meeting were the Press Club of India President Gautam Lahiri, noted human rights lawyers Colin Gonzalves and Sanjay Parikh, former Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) president and activist Nandita Narain and the founding editor of The Wire MK Venu.
The speakers elucidated in detail the different aspects of this situation.
In his address, Gautam Lahiri underscored the tremendous pressure that has been brought to bear upon journalists in different parts of the country to comply with the whims and fancies of the government of the day, especially in the states. Attacks on the right of journalists to report without fear have been an important strategy devised by the governments to undermine the democratic and human rights of the people.
He highlighted critical challenges facing the media in India. “The media today is at the receiving end of severe human rights violations. A thriving democracy requires a free and independent press, but in our country, the press has been systematically muzzled, voices suppressed, and dissenting journalists jailed. Many journalists are currently behind bars, and state power is being wielded heavily against those who dare to speak out,” he said.
Lahiri also expressed concern about India’s low ranking on the Media Freedom Index, which lags behind even some neighbouring countries lacking democratic governance. He criticised the Human Rights Commissions in India for being subservient to the ruling dispensation. “In these difficult times, when dissent and protest are increasingly stifled, the Press Club has opened its doors to farmers, Dalits, minorities, media professionals, and other marginalised sections of society,” he added.
Highlighting several instances of judicial connivance in the undermining of constitutional and human rights, senior Supreme Court advocate Colin Gonzalves stressed that the situation in the country was far more serious than most people could imagine.
“Dark clouds loom over us, and the situation is more dangerous than we imagine. The prime minister may face challenges, but the human rights movement is heading toward perilous times. The judiciary has seen members aligned with the RSS and BJP before, but the open and shocking statements being made today, such as those by an Allahabad High Court judge, reflect an alarming normalisation of such rhetoric,” Gonzalves observed.
He highlighted the recent instance where in sitting judges of the Allahabad High Court took part in a public meeting organised in the court by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad wherein they openly espoused the Hindutva fascist agenda. How can anyone expect such judges to adhere to constitutional values and uphold the rights of minorities? In another instance upturning the decades-old law of ‘bail being the norm and jail an exception’, established by the Supreme Court, a bench of the same court had opined that in cases of serious crimes, the trial courts should not even entertain bail pleas. Such an attitude of the courts bodes ill for the rights of the citizens and would lend political prisoners to prolonged incarceration.
Another senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, in his address, emphasised that the government has in fact moved far beyond attacking the right to freedom of expression; the government’s attempt is increasingly on controlling even the freedom of thought, in order to completely subjugate the people. He said that the Ayodhya verdict was a travesty of justice. He also slammed former chief justice DY Chandrachud for his decision to allow the survey of the Gynvapi mosque in Varanasi. He said the judgment was in contravention of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 and has opened a floodgate of litigation against the Muslim religious places. He also strongly condemned the controversial statement by the Allahabad High Court judge and called for strict action against the judge and a review of all his previous judgments and orders.
Prof Nandita Narain highlighted the way in which institutions of higher education are being undermined in the country and changes wrought by the new education policy which would deprive the present and the coming generations of our students of the knowledge, resources and ability to analyse and understand the larger social reality which shapes their future and the wellbeing of the society. They are not going to be open to reasoning and would imbibe the reactionary and bigoted Hindutva world view as an unquestionable reality.
MK Venu, drawing upon his long journalistic career, dwelt at length on the dynamics between the mainstream media and the online media platforms that have emerged in response to the complete monopolisation of the mainstream media by the BJP-RSS as a propaganda tool to spread their jaundiced world view. Pointing to studies, in this regard, he stated that the more discerning has shifted entirely away from the mainstream channels. This in his opinion offered hope for those who would want media to truly play the role of the fourth pillar of democracy and defend peoples’ democratic and human rights.
He pointed out that throughout the previous ten years; the government has had more and more influence on the media. He did, however, draw attention to the government’s worries regarding the emergence of independent online media. “The democratisation of media and the role of smaller outlets before the Lok Sabha elections had a significant impact on the election outcome,” Venu stated, quoting MP Mahua Moitra. To limit their power, the government is increasingly focusing on smaller media outlets and internet sites.
The event ended with the adoption of a resolution calling for: the removal of Biren Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, for failing to address the state’s ongoing crisis; an end to the recent wave of communal attacks on the Muslim minority, including attacks on their places of worship, with strict enforcement of The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991; and immediate bail for all political prisoners and student activists who have been wrongfully imprisoned for years without trial.
The proceedings of the meeting were conducted by co-convener Janhastakshep, Anil Dubey.
