Varavara Rao & 4 others arrested - Arbitrary crackdown

Deccan Chronicle | Hyderabad | 29-8-2018

Virasam leader Varavara Rao (77 years), lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Fereira, Gautam Navlakha and Vernon Gonsalves were arrested on 28-8-2018 by the Maharashtra Police for their alleged involvement in organising Elgaar Parishad, suspected with Maoist links, earlier this year in Pune. They were arrested under IPC Section 153 (A) and according to the FIR, provocative speeches were made at the event, and these triggered the violence in Bhima Koregaon.

• The National Human Rights Commission observed that "it appears that the standard operating procedure in connection with these arrests has not been properly followed by the police authorities, which may amount to violation of their human rights."
• He’s almost 80 years old. I don’t know how he will hold up in prison, said Hemalatha, Varavara Rao’s wife, as she broke into tears.
• This entire plot is devised to garner Hindutva support. Modi is already losing support and he wants to gather sympathy by stating that a Hindu leader is going to be killed. This Bhima Koregaon, an assertion of Dalits is a barricade to the Hindutva politics, so they want to taint it, said Kurmanath.
• This is a witch hunt and an attempt to divert attention from the failures of the current government, questions that are being raised about demonetisation, the Rafael deal, and right wing extremism, said historian Ramachandra Guha.
• The Hyderabad High Court bench of Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy and Justice T Amarnath Goud gave the direction while hearing an urgent plea filed by Hemalatha wife of Varavara Rao. Seeking counters from DGPs of Maharashtra and Telangana, the bench said that it would declare the arrest illegal if their counters did not disclose a valid case against the writer. “If it is found that police did not follow due procedure, we will intervene,” the bench said while adjourning the case to next week. 
• The Supreme Court today (29-8-2018) said the five people arrested yesterday in connection with the Bhima Koregaon investigation should be kept under house arrest till Sep 6, 2018 - the date of the next hearing in the case.
• Dissent is the safety valve of democracy and if you don't allow these safety valves, it will burst, said the Supreme Court bench, which comprised Chief Justice Dipak Misra, and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.

The recent multi-city crackdown on human rights activists and left-leaning intellectuals and academics is in violation of fundamental rights. It was totally unjust, but sought to be justified on the pretext that they working against the country’s interest. But the fact remains that they championed the cause of the country’s impoverished people. It would be a sad day for Indian democracy when the defense of the weak and vulnerable is treated as a crime.

Habeus Corpus for producing Naxal leader RK

Habeus Corpus writ filed in HC by Naxal leader RK's wife

Naxals or Maoists wearing lethal weapons smuggled from other countries, living away from society in jungles and commanding people at their will and ruthlessly killing people not obeying them and also policemen encountering them are nothing but terrorists. There is no such thing called 'foreign terrorists' and 'Indian terrorists'. Both are anti-nationals and enemies of the civilized world.

You see the audacity of the naxal leader RK's wife Padma and civil liberties leaders Varavara Rao & co. On one hand they defy constitution and laws of the land creating terror among tribals on some pretext or other and when caught by police they expect police treat them with all civil rights honored. Suddenly they remember that Naxals are also citizens of this country and approach courts and human rights commissions for their well being. HC commenting that Naxals or otherwise, government must provide security to all citizens is simply obnoxious. What about the rights of the victims of Naxals and families of policemen who are killed by Naxals brutally? Policemen risks their lives in catching them and our blind courts often releases them in accordance with laws of the land. Thus policemen after catching these terrorists has no incentive and produce them in courts for trial etc. which is nothing but farcical. When encounter takes place in forests especially during dark from where police will get eye witness to prosecute them. The easy option for them is kill them under the pretext of self defense.

RK shot into fame when his gang blasted AP CM Chandrababu Naidu's car at Alipiri ghat. But he survived with grievous injuries on Oct 01, 2003 because the car was rugged and bulletproof and above all luck.

How will he & his family feel for letting RK and his rights being upheld by courts.

Group of 40-50 Maoists in military like uniform armed with lethal weapons -- what legitimate activity they are doing in prohibited reserved forests walking 28 km, other than conspiring against the state. Any sane government would challenge them and if they retaliate surely would eliminate them.

It has been policy of all governments to eliminate Naxals for their illegal ans anti-social activities and eliminating them is the only way.


My View:
I do remember in 1976 when Palestine terrorists hijacked Ar France plane and kept 100 Isreali citizens as hostages at Entebbe Airport, Uganda, neither Israeli government nor people of Isreal have shown any interest for exchanging jailed terrorists and ransom amount as demanded by hijackers. They preferred dare devil military rescue operation which had successfully rescued all the hostages except few casualties. Thus they insulated themselves from future hijacks for next 30 years. Prior to Entebbe raid, 2 to 3 hijacks were common every month. A hostage has told the hijacker at Entebbe that "My country doesn't bargain with terrorists". See the clarity and firmness in resolution.

Naxals or anybody, yielding lethel weapons other than licensed by Government are terrorists and must be dealt with iron fist and society must be made secure and safe by eliminating them. Their principles might be noble but their actions are untolerable, unbearable and unacceptable. Courts should be careful while dealing such cases and refrain from the temptations of  'judicial activism'. Courts must refrain making adverse comments on government during the course of hearing is unacceptable nonsense. They should reserve all comments and advise till the day of judgement. They should emulate Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha. Otherwise sooner or later they too could become victims of some terrorists.

Those who doesn't respect 'Constitution of India' 

have no right to seek for protection under its aegis.