By IANS,
New Delhi : Renowned author and activist Arundhati Roy Friday called for a fight for “a democracy where killings are not celebrated or awarded”.
“Not only Muslims but tribals and anyone who raises his/her voice against the powerful is killed. The fight is for a democracy where killings are not celebrated and awarded,” Roy said.
She was speaking after the Teachers Solidarity Group of the Jamia Millia Islamia presented a fact-finding report on the police shootout at Batla House in south Delhi Sep 19, in which two alleged terrorists and a senior police official were killed. Many organisations have raised doubts about the police version of the incident.
“All those who raise questions on issues like the Batla House incident are branded as gaddar or anti-nationals, but the real danger to Indian democracy is from people like Advani,” Roy said, referring to the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani.
“It’s not just the police, but the media, the state and even Bollywood, which promote this culture of police impunity, when custodial killings are justified and celebrated,” the Booker-award winning author said.