By India Tomorrow Staff Reporter,
New Delhi, 24 Jan 2014: Academicians, lawyers and leaders and activists of various communities are getting prepared to launch a massive campaign against ‘draconian’ Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On Friday they organized a ‘get together’ at India International Centre, where they discussed need and importance for a massive movement asking repeal of UAPA. They also designed various programs to mobilize masses against such draconian laws.
Participants said that the government has repealed draconian laws TADA and POTA but the amended UAPA has several such provisions which make it more draconian than TADA and POTA.
Organizers named their agitation as People’s Movement Against UAPA and apart from several activities they planned to do throughout the country they announced a huge People’s Conference Against UAPA in New Delhi in the first week of March.
Supreme Court lawyer Ashok Agarwal, who contested ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) before special tribunal twice said that UAPA is a direct attack on freedom of speech and right to form association.
“UAPA is direct attack on article 19 (1)(a) and (c) of Constitution of India,” he said.
Article 19 of the constitution provides protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech and association.
Agarwal said that in SIMI case a statement made by an accused in police custody was admissible in SIMI tribunals.
“80 to 90 percent ‘evidences’ against SIMI are confessions which are taken in police custody. Even though these confessions are not admissible against the accused but they are presented before the tribunals as evidences against SIMI,” he said.
Noted lawyer Mahmood Pracha sees international conspiracy in implicating ‘innocent’ people.
“It is an international conspiracy against nation and humanity. International arms dealer and international oil mafia are behind this conspiracy,” Pracha said.
He said that UAPA was made by central government and according to law only central government can invoke this law not state government but several states charging innocents under this law and even without any approval from the centre.
Pracha said that personal liberty is taken by this law and termed this campaign as a war to save our nation
Christian leader John Dayal enlightens that apart from Dalits, tribals and Muslims, Christian youths are also victims of such laws.
“Christian community thinks that such things are happening with Muslims only but there are lots of Christian youngsters who have been arrested under UAPA in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh,” he said.
He said that attitude of police towards minorities is worse than that of Britishers towards Indians.
Human rights lawyer ND Pancholi stressed mass movement against UAPA.
“TADA and POTA uphold by Supreme Court but it was repealed following public pressure.”
“We should raise our voices against biased judges also,” he added.
Syed Akhlaq Ahmed of Association for Protection of Civil Rights thinks that other such laws should be included in this movement.
“We should raise our voice against National Security Act and Public Safety Act also along with UAPA,” he said.
The get together, chaired by Maulana Muhammad Wali Rahmani, secretary for All India Muslim Personal Law Board, was attended by John Dayal, member of the National Integration Council and general secretary of the All India Christian Council, Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary of Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind, noted lawyers Ashok Agarwal and Mahmood Pracha, Dalit leader Bhai Tej Singh, former judge of High Court of Madhya Pradesh Justice Fakhruddin and E Abubaker, president of Social Democratic Party of India.
Social activists from different states also took part in the discussion.
