Shalini S, TwoCircles.net
Kerala: After the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act in the upper house (Rajya Sabha) of India’s parliament on December 11, 2019, widespread protests erupted across the country – with many sections of society calling it ‘discriminatory and divisive.’ The Pinarayi Vijayan led LDF (Left Democratic Front) Kerala government was one of the few states to oppose the controversial CAA-NPR-NRC triumvirate. Now, a year later, the same government is summoning activists and people who protested against the law in the state. The activists have accused the LDF government of ‘witch – hunting’, of having “double standards” and “selective Islamophobia.”
Recently, the Court of Judicial First Class Magistrate of Kozhikode, Kerala, sent out summons to over 46 activists and scholars who extended their solidarity for the anti-CAA protest held on December 17, 2019. The activists were summoned to appear in front of the magistrate on February 16, 2020, under the charges of abetment (109 IPC), member of the unlawful assembly (143 IPC), guilty of rioting (147 IPC), danger or obstruction in a public way read with every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of a common object (283 r/w 149 IPC).
Talking to TwoCircles.net, N.P. Chekkutty, a veteran journalist pointed out the double standards of the LDF government, “that says one thing and does something else.”
“The charges against him are baseless as he was not present in Kozhikode during the protest,” Chekkutty said.
Along with NP Chekkutty, some other prominent figures who were summoned are TT Sreekumar (Professor at EFLU), KK Baburaj, KP Sasi, PA Pouran, Hashim Chendampally, Gomathi, Nasar Faizt Kudathai (State secretary of Samastha Kerala Sunni Youth Movement), welfare party Leaders (WPI) Hameed Vaniyambalam and K Ambujakshan, Social Democratic Party (SDPI) leaders Tulasidharan Pallikal and Ashraf Moulavi, Students Islamic Organization (SIO) leaders Salih Kottapilly and Nahas Mala (ex-president of SIO National Committee).
Peter Thomas, a fierce advocate of the fishing community’s rights in the state, who had succumbed to Covid-19 in early October last year, is also on the list of the accused.
The protests on December 17, 2019, was jointly organized by Welfare State Party (WPI), the Social Democratic Party of India, the Dalit Human rights Movement (DHRM) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) expressing Dalit – Muslim affinity. The mainstream parties, Left parties and other organizations did not join the demonstration due to the involvement of SDPI and its alleged “extremist views.”
Pinnarayi Vijayan had criticized SDPI last February saying, “There is a group named SDPI in our state who are thinking in an extremist way. It has been brought to the government’s notice that SDPI’s members were trying to infiltrate the protests in many places and divert the issues.”
CM Vijayan accused SDPI of spreading communal hatred during the protests.
“Mainstream parties have taken a stand that they wouldn’t support SDPI and PFI (Popular Front of India) protests. The demonization of these two parties has been taking place for a while. Do we have any proof that these organizations are doing extremist activities which they are accused of? My stand is against CAA, so I have been a part of many such protests, why should this protest alone be singled out?,” an activist, who was part of the protests, told a news outlet.
According to a report by The Telegraph, a writer who declined to be named, called it “selective Islamophobia”, adding, “The CPM can organize strikes on anything. But they feel threatened when the Welfare Party or the SDPI do the same. They identify these two small parties with Muslim extremism.”
The police statement says that the charges were levied for not seeking prior permission for the protest as per the court order, however, “The State WPI president Hameed Vaniyambalam said the Kozhikode administration had denied permission for the December 17 protest despite allowing anti-CAA demonstrations by other groups on other dates.”
On February 14, 2021, Pinarayi Vijayan had reiterated that the state will not “allow this disaster (CAA)”, opposing the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who while addressing a rally in West Bengal, had said that “the act will be implemented effectively after the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.”