Activists rally for Sudhir Dhawale’s release

Terming the arrest of Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale as suppression of freedom of speech and the Dalit movement, a group of activists have demanded his release.  

Home minister RR Patil has ordered an independent review by an inspector general followed by further action in the next 8 days.  

Working in the tribal and naxal-hit areas in the backwards districts of Vidarbha, Dhawale was arrested by Gondia police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and charged with sedition.

The social and Dalit movement activists have formed a ‘Sudhir Dhawale Release Movement’ that would raise voice over    his arrest in at least 8 districts in the next few days. The movement has the support of noted activist and documentary film maker Anand Patwardhan, Prakash Reddy, Anandraj Ambedkar, writer Urmila Pawar, Pratima Joshi. They were the part of the group that met the home minister.  

They claimed that the police have falsely implicated Dhawale. “He was arrested under the charge of sedition, the charges under which freedom fighters were arrested by Britishers decades ago. He was arrested because he possessed the books related to Marxism and Maoism,” said Patwardhan.