CPDR Questions Arrests of Five Youth Under UAPA In Kerala

By Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights

10 May, 2016
Countercurrents.org

In a series of assaults on democratic movements in recent years, the Kerala Police have arrested five youth and charged them with UAPA last week. According to information collected by our activists, they were accused of putting up posters calling for the boycott of the upcoming assembly election in Kerala. Among the arrested, Ajithan, Sabu and Chathu are members of an organization called ‘Porattam’, which gave a call to boycott elections in Kerala. Dileep is a student activist and a member of the editorial committee a students’ magazine called ‘Padantharam’. Gouri is part of Adivasi Samara Sangam. While four of them are arrested for putting up the posters, Dileep was dragged with them while he was talking to Ajithan and Sabu, in Kerala Sahitya Academy compound where he had reached to attend a meeting regarding the rape and murder of a dalit student named Jisha.

The arrest of these youth and slapping draconian UAPA on them only indicates malafide of the Kerala Police to silence dissenting opinion of people. It is one more case that illustrates the blatant misuse of UAPA and craves for its repeal. The Kerala Police that refuses to arrest the culprits in a brutal rape and murder of the dalit law student displays its extreme zeal to curb political dissent with its patent weapon of UAPA.

CPDR demands immediate release of Ajithan, Sabu, Chathu, Gouri and Dileep and scrapping of UAPA.

(Dr Anand Teltumbde)
General Secretary
Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR)