By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Members of civil society groups and rights activists have expressed their solidarity with social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband and columnist Javed Anand, who are being hounded by the Gujarat Police. They have started online petitions to express their solidarity, while condemning, what they termed as witch-hunting.
IPS Sanjeev Bhatt, who was suspended after he dared to speak against the Gujarat Government in the 2002 pogrom, wrote on Facebook, “These are dark times. Let us protect every spark with great care,” while quoting a couplet of Nida Fazli.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist, on Thursday accused the Gujarat Police of harassing social activist Teesta Setalvad and demanded that the “concocted” case against her be withdrawn.
“The Gujarat Police have targeted Teesta Setalvad because of her relentless championing of the rights of the victims of the Gujarat pogroms of 2002,” said a statement from the party.
A team of Gujarat Police and Mumbai police Thursday scouted the home of Setalvad im Mumbai after a Gujarat court declined her plea for anticipatory bail in a case relating to alleged embezzlement but the apex court restrained her arrest.
She has got temporary respite from the Apex Court till February 19, when her case would be heard.
While starting an online petition, IndiaResists wrote: “Media stories suggest that the bail applications have been turned down because Setalavad and Anand were “not cooperating with the investigations” and that prima facie “funds were used for private purpose”. It is a matter of record that they have submitted their original bank statements, balance sheets and audited accounts that completely disprove the allegations. Does this amount to non-cooperation or prima facie evidence of wrong-doing?”
The petition has over 2000 signatories at the time of filing of this story.
While starting another online petition on Change.org, senior journalist Seema Mustafa wrote, “We stand in complete solidarity and support with Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand who have devoted a lifetime to upholding the secular values enshrined in the Constitution of India.”
This petition, which has also been signed by Anuradha Chenoy, Academic; Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Academic; Harsh Mander, Activist; Pamela Philipose, Journalist and Achin Vanaik, Academic, reminds, “They have faced tremendous harassment, abuse, threat to life with the communal forces in power now moving to apprehend them for standing up against hate speech and hate crime and upholding the law of the land.”
This petition too has over 1100 signatories.
Senior Journalist G. Pramod Kumar wrote on Facebook that she is being hounded by Gujarat Government in an abominable misuse of State Power, wondering, “Aren’t we conniving by silence?”
He noted, “The Gujarat Police’s overt enthusiasm to arrest Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand no sooner than the state high court rejected their plea for anticipatory bail in a curious “embezzlement” case didn’t raise any eyebrows, but justified the perception that the BJP government was on a hot pursuit of the activist.”
Meanwhile, trustees of Citizens for Journalists and Peace (CJP) has issued a statement, “We have full faith in our fellow trustees Javed Anand and Secretary Teesta Setalvad, and we stand by them during these difficult times.”
“We have no doubt whatsoever regarding their honesty and integrity in the dealings of CJP. We are convinced that there is no factual basis to sustain the charge of embezzlement, and this has been asserted by the independent auditors of CJP,” the statement by trustees added.