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If We Do Not Speak Up Now Against The Arrest of Professor Hany Babu, We May Lose India Forever
Apoorvanand
Hany Babu has been arrested. Even though the news was not surprising, it shocked me. It is unsettling to think that we will no longer walk past a class overflowing with students with Hany Babu inside, that we do not know how long it will take to bump into him again in the corridors of Delhi University’s Arts Faculty.
These had always been chance encounters. Hany Babu appeared, at least to me, a man of few words. Apart from knowing him as a colleague, a fellow teacher at the neighbouring Department of English, I was aware of his activities on the anti-caste front and as the person leading the Saibaba defence committee. The former Delhi University professor, GN Saibaba, is wheelchair-bound with over 90% physical disability. In 2017, he was given a life sentence for having links with Maoists.
Last year, when my father called me to tell me that the home of a Delhi University professor had been raided, I asked him whether the professor was Hany Babu. Why did his name come to my mind? My apprehension arose out of the fact he was audacious enough to spearhead the Saibaba defence committee. It was a dangerous thing to do. Saibaba is currently incarcerated in a Nagpur jail. But for the persistence of Hany Babu, Saibaba would have certainly slipped out of the public mind.
He was taking a risk and he could have avoided it as many of us do. It was September last year. His computers and hard disk were seized. And now, ten months later, the agencies claim they have unearthed incriminating material on that computer against him. So, our top investigative agencies want us to believe that dangerous conspirators keep their plans in a hidden folder on their computers.
Protecting our rights
Like the letter indicating a conspiracy to launch various kinds of terrorist activities, including the assassination of the prime minister, which was discovered on the desktop of Rona Wilson. Veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha has ruthlessly dissected that fanciful theory advanced by the police.
The arrest of Hany Babu should alarm even those who do not know him personally. It is not necessary for them to agree with his ideology or his activities to oppose his arrest. It should be opposed for the simple fact that the government of India and its agencies are still expected to act according to the Constitution of India. It is still in vogue and we still have our rights recognised by it.
One of the rights, most sacred and essential for our existence as the citizens of this country, is the freedom to think and express ourselves in our own way. I can have a thought or ideology with which the government does not necessarily need to agree. Ideologies with which the government of the day is uncomfortable cannot be criminalised so casually.
It is scandalous that the National Investigative Agency can say that Hany Babu was arrested because he was spreading the Naxalite and Maoist ideology. One fails to understand what does the agency mean by Naxal activities. Also, the allegation of spreading Maoist ideology is quite vague. How is believing in Maoist ideology a crime? Can the government destroy people just because it dislikes this ideology? Why do we need to ask this question?
Why do not people who believe in the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh realise that they have lived free and also propagated their ideology for nearly 60 years when their opponents were in power in the Centre and the states. They were not destroyed even when many in power felt that the activities of the RSS were against the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India.
When we discuss this, what has been forgotten is that Hany Babu is the twelfth person to be arrested for an alleged conspiracy that led to violence at Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018. The authorities claim that the violence was instigated by speeches that had been made at a meeting called the Elgar Parishad in nearby Pune the day before.
The Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association rightly observes:
“Behind all the bombast and the planted stories that appear in pliant media outlets, it will do us well to remember what precisely the Bhima Koregaon case is. In December 2017, when a range of Ambedkarite organisations called for a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of victory of the Mahar regiment over Peshwa’s forces, through cultural programmes and marches, Hindutva groups led by Milind Ekbote and Shambaji Bhide unleashed a reign of terror on Dalits who were gathering for the celebrations.
“While one FIR was booked by the Pune (rural) police to investigate Ekbote’s and Bhide’s role in fomenting violence against Dalits – the two leaders have been treated with infinite indulgence, with Ekbote arrested ever so briefly, and Bhide never at all.
“On the other hand, the Pune (city) police booked an FIR against the Elgar Parishad and went on to claim a larger, near apocalyptic conspiracy – so enormous in fact that the police conducted multi-city shock and awe raids and arrests over days in 2018. The police made stunning claims, including that those arrested – poets, trade unionists, writers, and academics – had been planning to assassinate the Prime Minister.
“Of course, these claims remained grist for their demonisation on prime time television shows, as the government itself conceded in the Supreme Court (in Romila Thapar vs Union of India) that it had no evidence to link the accused to any such plot.”
Freedom to dissent
What has been completely erased from the public memory is the fact that “the only unlawful activity that has taken place – in plain view, for everyone to see – was the violent attack on Dalits by Ekbote’s, and Bhide’s goons, which the National Investigative Agency and its masters are clearly uninterested in pursuing”.
One need not talk about the academic excellence of Hany Babu and his achievements as a scholar or his popularity as a teacher to call his arrest most foul. I do not even need to talk about his dogged campaign against diluting caste-based reservation policies.
It should be enough for a Hany Babu, an independent mind, a free citizen to be allowed to lead an unfettered life, to criticise and oppose a government he thinks is unfit for the nation. It should not be left to the usual suspects to speak for him. It is the duty of all teachers, students and others to stand up against this most atrocious campaign that independent India is witnessing against its best minds. If we fail now, we may lose India forever.
(Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at Delhi University. Article courtesy: Scroll.in.)
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More Than 2,000 Activists and Scholars Extend Support to Hany Babu
The Wire Staff
More than 2,000 scholars and activists have extended support to Delhi University professor Hany Babu, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Bhima Koregaon case on July 28.
The signatories described the arrest of Babu as the continuation of an almost year-long “harassment” which began with a raid of his house on September 10, 2019. They pointed out that Babu has clearly stated that he has no connection with the incidents at Bhima-Koregaon, where violence was reported on January 1, 2018 during the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle.
“Although violence at the event was triggered by the interference of Hindu right-wing groups, the incident was used as a pretext to arrest Dalit scholars and other activists,” the statement says. With the arrest of Babu, 12 people – all activists, lawyers and academics – have been arrested in relation to the case.
The signatories said that as anti-caste scholars and activists, they understand that the framing of Babu, “a tireless anti-caste intellectual and activist”, is an attempt to penalise Dalit-Bahujans for raising their voice against casteist practices. They said that the DU professor has consistently worked to ensure equal opportunity for Dalit and Bahujan students and that he views social justice as one of the main aims of scholarship.
Describing his arrest as the latest example of the current government’s attempt to “annihilate dissent and freedom of life for its vocal public”, they also expressed concern at the arrest of India’s important intellectuals and activists during the time of the global pandemic.
“We, the national and international community of anti-caste scholars and activists, urge the Indian Government to acquit Dr. Hany Babu, in the interest of preserving democratic values and human rights,” they said.
The full statement has been reproduced below. The complete list of signatories can be found on The Wire website.
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Statement of Solidarity & Plea to Free Prof. Hany Babu
On 28 July 2020, The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Dr. Hany Babu, Associate Professor at the Department of English in the University of Delhi, in connection with the Elgaar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon Case. On 24 July, Prof. Babu (54) was summoned to the NIA office in Mumbai as a witness where he was subsequently arrested after five days of questioning. He had requested to provide testimony via Video Conferencing considering the travel risk related to COVID-19, but his request was denied. As the questioning started, Prof. Babu was forced to provide false testimony against other activists and to accept allegations of being a functionary of the Maoists. Even under immense pressure, Prof. Babu, a conscientious teacher and activist, refused to concur with these lies. Because he stood for truth, Prof. Babu was arrested after five days of harassment in the name of interrogation.
The arrest of Prof. Babu is the continuation of an almost year-long harassment which began with a raid of his house on 10 September 2019. The Pune Police, who claimed the raid was in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon case, confiscated his laptop and mobile phones as well as barred him from using his social media handles. Prof. Babu has clearly stated that he has no connection in any way whatsoever with the incidents at Bhima-Koregaon. The Bhima-Koregaon case is related to the eruption of violence at the annual celebratory event of Dalits on 1 January 2018. Although violence at the event was triggered by the interference of Hindu right-wing groups, the incident was used as a pretext to arrest Dalit scholars and other activists. Prof. Babu is the twelfth person to be arrested in relation to the case.
As anti-caste scholars and activists, we understand that the framing of Prof. Hany Babu, a tireless anti-caste intellectual and activist, is an attempt to penalise Dalitbahujans for raising their voice against casteist practices. It is a tragic irony that the Indian Government is using a celebratory event of Dalits to frame anti-caste scholars and activists. Prof. Babu, who has consistently worked to ensure equal opportunity for Dalitbahujan students, views social justice as one of the main aims of scholarship. He also raised his voice to defend the rights of Prof. Sai Baba, a Delhi University Professor with 90% physical disability who was arrested on charges of having Maoist links in 2014. Prof. Babu’s commitment to social justice is penalised by his arrest. This is the latest example of the current Indian Government’s attempt to annihilate dissent and freedom of life for its vocal public. We are also disturbed by the arrest of India’s important intellectuals and activists during the time of the global pandemic. This situation causes great concern for Prof. Babu’s good health and safety in custody. It is with utmost dismay that we witness this onslaught on India’s public intellectuals who are committed to social justice like Prof. Hany Babu. We, the national and international community of anti-caste scholars and activists, urge the Indian Government to acquit Dr. Hany Babu, in the interest of preserving democratic values and human rights.
Endorsed by:
The full list of signatories is available on The Wire website.
(Article courtesy: The Wire.)
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Press Release, 28 July 2020
Condemn the Arbitrary Arrest of Prof. Hany Babu!
Stop the Witch-Hunt of Human Rights Defenders by the NIA!
Campaign Against State Repression
Immediately release all political prisoners!
The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) condemns the arrest of Professor Hany Babu MT at Mumbai by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case. Despite the surging cases of COVID-19 in both Delhi and Mumbai, Prof. Babu of the Department of English in Delhi University was summoned as a witness and forced by the NIA to travel to Mumbai after being denied the option of video conferencing. Cooperating with the NIA since July 24th 2020, it quickly became clear that the questioning was merely a ruse to force Prof. Babu into providing false testimony against other persons and accepting allegations of being a functionary of the Maoists.
Prof. Babu vehemently and consistently refused to agree to these ridiculous lies. It is because of this that after five days of continuous harassment in the name of interrogation, the NIA, despite his presence in the NIA office, has now made him an accused and formally arrested him and is ironically seeking custodial interrogation. In September 2019, Prof. Babu was subjected to a raid without a search warrant at his residence by the Maharashtra Police. While several electronic devices and books were seized, no hash value of any of the devices confiscated were provided.
This violation of procedure has left the seized devices open to tampering. The investigating agencies have repeatedly denied the hash value of the confiscated devices that can actually reveal the timestamp of activities on the device. In fact, it is clear now that there is a pattern of confiscating devices, planting fabricated evidence and conducting a media trial on this basis. Unfortunately, the courts have also turned a blind eye to these illegalities.
This is blatant harassment and intimidation of persons who question the State and struggle for the rights of the marginalised and oppressed castes, classes and communities. Prof. Babu has been an anti-caste activist who has been consistently fighting for social justice within and outside the university space. He has also been a part of the Committee for the Defence and Release of Dr. GN Saibaba and Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP). He has spoken out against caste discrimination in institutions of higher education, the death penalty and for the rights of political prisoners.
Arrest of Hany Babu by the NIA shows for a fact that the entire conspiracy hatched in the aftermath of the violence at Bhima Koregaon is intended to incarcerate and silence a range of activists who have been speaking about the anti-people policies of the State. This is also being done to divert attention away from the true perpetrators of the violence, Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, both with ties to the RSS. It is intended to spread fear among the democratic and progressive spirited academics, activists, artists, journalists, lawyers, poets and trade unionists.
This arrest is likely to follow the predictable narrative of branding Prof. Babu a urban Naxal. These charges will remain unproven and unsubstantiated except through the deployment of the fabricated evidence which will not hold water under scrutiny of a fair trial. However, as has been seen in multiple cases, the purpose is not to prove guilt but to punish via a lengthy isolation and detention while being demonised by a State sponsored media witch-hunt. These tactics are being deployed without any consideration for the basic right to life of the persons targeted as seen in the case of the revolutionary poet Varavara Rao, Dr. G.N. Saibaba and Prof. Anand Teltumbde among others.
Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) urges all the progressive and democratic sections of our society to unite and condemn the arrest of Prof. Hany Babu and the threat of arrest looming over several more activists, artists and journalists. We demand the:
- Immediate release of all activists and intellectuals charged in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon case.
- Immediate release of all anti-CAA, NRC and NPR activists.
- Immediate release of all political prisoners and immediate de-congestion of prisons.
- Repeal all draconian laws including UAPA, PSA, NSA and others.
(Campaign Against State Repression, Organising Team: AISA, AISF, APCR, BCM, Bhim Army, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, BSCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, Disha, DISSC, DSU, DTF, IAPL, IMK, Karnataka Janashakti, KYS, Lokpaksh, LSI, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Mehnatkash Mahila Sangathan, Morcha Patrika, NAPM, NBS, NCHRO, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Satyashodak Sangh, SFI, United Against Hate, WSS)
