SDPI condemns CBI raids on premises of Teesta Setalvad  

By TCN News,
 
Bhopal: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has condemned the CBI raids on the premises of well-known social and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, who helped the victims of 2002 Gujarat pogrom in their fight for justice.
 
“Killers go scot-free and the people who speak against them have to suffer. What a great system the country finds itself in,” Afsar Pasha, SDPI national general secretary, said in a statement and added that the BJP-led NDA government is abusing CBI for political purpose. This will prove costly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming Bihar elections as the people have realized that BJP is in no way different from the Congress.
 
The CBI raids were conducted on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 in connection with a case filed against her in Gujarat wherein she is accused of appropriating funds collected for her NGO, which was helping victims of the communal riots in that state. CBI officials raided premises of Setalvad, her husband, Gulam Mohammed Peshimam and office of Sabrang Communications and Publications.
 
Pasha called it as undeclared “Emergency” and sought to know, “what kind of justice Setalvad and her friends, who fought against Gujarat carnage can expect from a government which is run by perpetrators of Gujarat pogrom. The rulers think that by targeting Setalvad, they can divert attention from ModiGate and Vyapam. They are mistaken.”
 
He said that Setalvad is paying the price of fighting against Modi and his Gujarat government. “Modi and team is giving a message to the nation that this harassment will happen to all who will take a stand against Modi and their outfit BJP,” the statement said. 
 
Pasha stated that the way BJP is using the police and CBI is very vindictive. “It is a brazen misuse of state powers by the BJP governments in Gujarat and at the Centre” and appealed the civil society to support Setalvad and other activists who have been fighting for the causes of the minorities and marginalised classes against the pro-Hindutva and pro-Corporate forces.