TCN News
Over 30 social organizations under the banner of Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has condemned the arrest of Professor Hany Babu MT by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) at Mumbai on Tuesday.
Professor Hony Babu is the most recent to be arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case despite reports of political activists being under increasing danger of getting infected with COVID-19. The CASR statement has informed that despite the surging cases of COVID-19 in both Delhi and Mumbai, Prof. Babu of the Department of English in Delhi University was summoned as a witness and forced by the NIA to travel to Mumbai after being denied the option of video conferencing. CASR, which includes activists’ network from AISA, AISF, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, Disha, DSU, DTF, IMK, Karnataka Janashakti, Lokpaksh, LSI, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Mehnatkash Mahila Sangathan, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Satyashodak Sangh, SFI, United Against Hate and several others, strongly opposed the charges against the Professor by drawing attention to his interaction with the authorities.
CASR mentioned that Professor Hany Babu has been cooperating with the NIA since July 24 and gradually “it became clear that the questioning was merely a ruse to force Prof Babu into providing false testimony against other persons and accepting allegations of being a functionary of the Maoists.” It noted that Prof Babu “vehemently and consistently refused to agree to the ridiculous lies” and as response, the NIA, “after five days of continuous harassment in the name of interrogation” has now made him an accused and formally arrested him.
In its condemnation statement, CASR has noted that Prof Babu was subjected to a raid without a search warrant at his residence by the Maharashtra Police in September 2019 where “several electronic devices and books were seized and no hash value of any of the devices confiscated was provided.” CASR called out against this violation of procedure, accusing the NIA of leaving the seized devices open to tampering. It highlighted that the investigating agencies have repeatedly denied the hash value of the confiscated devices that can reveal the timestamp of activities on the device. It iterated that “it is clear now that there is a pattern of confiscating devices, planting fabricated evidence and conducting a media trial on this basis.”
CASR blamed the judiciary for “turning a blind eye to these illegalities” and “blatant harassment and intimidation of persons who question the State.” It further resonated that people who struggle for the rights of the marginalized and oppressed castes, classes and communities have been put under scanner by the authorities and Prof Babu’s case is no different. CASR stated that the Prof has been an anti-caste activist who “has been consistently fighting for social justice within and outside the university space.” He has also played an active role as Committee member for the Defence and Release of Dr. GN Saibaba, and Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP).
CASR noted that arrest of Hany Babu by the NIA “shows for a fact that the entire conspiracy hatched in the aftermath of the violence at Bhima Koregaon is intended to incarcerate and silence a range of activists who have been speaking about the anti-people policies of the State.”
According to them, it is also being done to divert attention away from the true perpetrators of the violence, namely, “Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, both with ties to the RSS.”
Such incidents of incarcerating activists “is intended to spread fear among the democratic and progressive spirited academics, activists, artists, journalists, lawyers, poets and trade unionists.”
Going forward with the Prof’s arrest, CASR has forecasted that this legal action under false charges “is likely to follow the predictable narrative of branding Prof Babu an urban Naxal while the charges would remain unproven and unsubstantiated except through the deployment of the fabricated evidence which will not hold water under the scrutiny of a fair trial.”
It reiterated that similar incidents have been seen in multiple cases where “the purpose is not to prove guilt but to punish via lengthy isolation and detention while being demonized by a State-sponsored media witch-hunt.”
CASR stated that it stands against all such tactics which are being deployed by the State without any consideration for the basic right to life of the persons targeted, as is seen in the case of the revolutionary poet Varavara Rao, Dr GN Saibaba and Prof. Anand Teltumbde among others.
In the light of the above matters, CASR has urged all the progressive and democratic institutions “to unite and condemn the arrest of Prof Hany Babu and the threat of arrest looming over several more activists, artists and journalists.”
Subsequently, CASR demanded the immediate release of all activists charged in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon case as well as a repeal of “draconian laws including UAPA, PSA, NSA” and release of anti-CAA-NRC -NPR protestors. It has also raised concerns of clutter in prisons amid a pandemic, urging the authorities to release of all political prisoners and de-congest Indian prisons.