What is happening is absolutely perilous: Arundhati Roy breaks silence on Pune Police raids
Intellectuals and civic society members are slamming the multi-city raids conducted by the Pune Police for its probe in Bhima-Koregaon violence case.
As some called the police raids as an attempt to weed out the ‘urban Naxal’ menace, world-renowned author and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy broke her silence and termed this entire operation as ‘perilous’.
"The simultaneous state-wide arrests are a dangerous sign of a government that fears it is losing its mandate and is falling into panic. That lawyers, poets, writers, Dalit rights activists and intellectuals are being arrested on ludicrous charges... while those who make up lynch mobs and threaten and murder people in broad daylight roam free, tells us very clearly where India is headed," Roy was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
Roy is not alone in her attack against the raids. Several noted intellectuals such as Ramchandra Guha and rights activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan called it a ‘clear declaration of emergency.’
"Fascist fangs are now openly bared," Bhushan had tweeted earlier in the day.
"It is a clear declaration of emergency. They are going after anyone who has spoken against the government on rights issues. They are against any dissent," the lawyer was quoted as saying.
Guha called the action "absolutely chilling" and demanded the intervention of the Supreme Court to stop this "persecution and harassment" of independent voices.
"Sudha Bharadwaj is as far from violence and illegality as Amit Shah is close to those things," tweeted Guha.
Pune police on Tuesday conducted searches in various cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Haryana and Chhatisgarh in connection with the recent arrests of five persons allegedly linked with Maoists activities.
The searches are being conducted at the residences of the persons having Maoists links and who were directly or indirectly connected with the organizers of 'Elgaar Parishad', said sources.
According to the sources in Pune police, the police have arrested left-wing activist and poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad and trade unionist Sudha Bharadwaj in Faridabad. They are being produced in a local court in respective cities and will be brought to Pune after getting transit remand.
(With inputs from PTI)
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