By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net,
Kozhikode: Kerala, which is stated to follow the high secular and democratic values, it appears, is turning into the graveyard of political freedom. Throwing not only secularism and socialism but even minimal forms of liberalism, social activists are frequently targeted by the police.
Using the oppressive police measures the state is detaining the young people and activists in Kerala, many of who were active in some protests, including the Kiss of Love protest raised against the Hindutva extremism and Standing Struggle protest, staged by the tribal community across the state in front the secretariat.
Jaison C Cooper
Kerala police, on Friday arrested two persons on the charge of sympathizing with Maoists and spreading their ideology. Activist Jaison C. Cooper was detained from his house at Mattancherry, whereas lawyer and human rights activist Thushar Sarathy was arrested from Kozhikode where he was attending a public protest meeting.
Jaison Cooper, a well-known social activist and blogger, has been actively engaged in an array of popular struggles, which triggered strong agitation against the government. He was taken into police custody from his office on 29 January 2014, Thursday morning without any notice or arrest warrant. The police took him to the custody saying his colleagues that he will be release if any of his colleagues reach the police station.
Accordingly two persons working in the same office reached the Thevara Police Station. While the colleagues arrived at the station the police then said that Cooper will not be released and will remain detained in the station.
Thushar Sarathy, a civil rights activist in the forefront of people’s struggles has been systematically under police surveillance. He was also included in a “Maoist look-out notice” for his participation in the struggle against illegal quarry mafia, which posing threat to the existence of tribal settlement in Palakkad.
The arrest was followed by the raids conducted by the police in the houses of activists including Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, Secretary of Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam (People’s Human Rights Forum), advocate P.J. Manuel and artist-activist Jolly Chirayath, Convener of Sthree Koottayma (Women’s Collective).
Besides, there have been several incidents of raids at the houses of human rights activists and leaders of ultra-Left sympathizers in Kochi and Wayanad.
According to the police the arrests of Thushar and Cooper followed an attack by alleged Maoists against the office of National Highway Authority of India (NHIA) at Kalamasserry in Kochi on Thursday, 29 January.
Later on Sunday, two days after, two youths — Shahid Shameem and Uday Balakrishnan — were arrested in Kannur for suspected Maoist links. The duo was taken into custody when they were going to attend a function to express support to Tamil writer Perumal Murugan.
Shahid was the district committee member of Students Islamic Organization (SIO), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, while Uday is an activist of Kiss of Love movement. They also had expressed solidarity with the Nilpusamaram organized by the tribal outfits. The duo was released by the after detaining them till Monday morning.
However, the act by the police has drawn strong ire from the activists groups. They say that the most convenient excuse is pursuing the Maoists, a fear that is easily excited in the lazy middle classes.
Noted activist and film maker A S Ajithkumar says these arrests are clearly a step to criminalize every form of opinion and to punish every act of dissent.
“The state is quite apprehensive of the various modes of protests. Unlike the previous decades, the struggles have developed in to a popular manner. The society in the state, which is far before in terms of social and political awareness, is tend to participate in the agitations raised against the state and monopolies as it was blatant in the standing struggle by the tribal community and Kiss of Love protest against the moral policing,” Ajith Kumar says.
“Irrespective of their political parties, religion and caste the people are showing a tendency rendering support to the marginalized communities. While it comes to the popular struggles the public, especially youngsters, are lending huge support. The state fears the fast emerging popular activism in the state,” Ajith Kumar points out.
According to him, the social media has turned a popular venue, where the activists gather and shoot their questions and dissent towards the state.
“The arrested activists were active in social media exposing the petty politics the left and right parties in the state. Wide campaigning emerges in social media while injustice is acted by the state,” he says.
“Earlier, the youngsters were targeted in the name of Muslim terrorism. Now the public is aware of this myth and the state known it will work no more. The police and the state have now resorted to Maiosm to demonise the activists. Shameem was named by the police as Maoist despite being a functionary of Students Islamic Organization,” Ajith Kumar points out.
He has no doubt the arrests are the imitations of the suppressive measures, used to resist the democratic struggles.
Thushar Sarathy being taken by the police. (Courtesy: The Hindu)
Meanwhile, a group of writers and intellectuals led by Arundhati Roy have written to the Kerala Chief Minister seeking release of Cooper and Sarathi.
“We believe that this police action is a well concerted political act to silence all voices raising critical questions about the political, economic and social issues in the country. The act of the police should be condemned by all people believing in the freedom of expression and the right to dissent. The incident also shows that the police in Kerala under a Congress Regime are no different from the Hindu Fascist regimes in other parts of the country,’’ they urged the chief minister.
The campaign to release the activists is gradually gaining momentum on the social media.