Activism or death wish?

India makes for a cultural cocktail like no other democracy in the world. With a population of over a billion people, the country has one of the most diverse demographic. From religious and and linguistic minorities, to gender and caste minorities, India encompasses it all. Yet, the country has not been a safe space for either the minorities or human rights activists. Questions by human rights activists demanding accountability have more often than not been met with resistance, either by corporations, political parties or the state itself. 

A recent movement instigated by international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has started a silent protest where in various cities such as London, Lima and Kathmandu, Amnesty volunteers have been sticking posters around the Indian Embassy that read — “Beware, Indian Embassy ahead. Human Rights’ Activists will be prosecuted”. 

According to Amnesty India’s official Instagram handle, “The Amnesty movement has been putting up these signs, in different corners of the world, to protest the growing problem of crackdown on #humanrights in India (sic).” 

Telangana (before and after the bifurcation) as state has been a central to quite a few prominent human rights’ movements in the country — be 

K. Balagopala’s uncompromising and indomitable spirit as a human right activist to the Rohith Vemula movement that proved to be a paradigm shift in the country’s student politics. Yet, the city’s human rights’ circuit has been feeling the brunt of the crackdown too. 

Speaking to Professor G. Haragopal, who was recently detained during the Save Education Yatra movement, he rues, “CLC movement lost five of its activists. There are increasing threats both by the state-sponsored mafia and the state. There are repressive laws under which one can be detained for six months without assigning any reason. Recent arrests of five leading activists speak volumes in this regard.” 

Resonating with a similar sense of unease, city-based human rights’ activist Tashi Choedup says, “The situation of human rights’ activism in the country is just getting from bad to worse. And form of questioning or accountability is being met with severe resistance from corporations and the state. It is like the state has become the judge and jury. No form of judicial procedure is being followed.”

Jeevan Kumar, another  well known city-based human rights’ activist is of the opinion that the government treats human rights’ activists as adversaries. “It is imperative that the government follows the laws of the country to the T. There has to be a sense of accountability by the government. But today, anyone opposing the government or questioning it’s actions is being labelled anti-establishment. In fact, human rights’ activists are also being called anti-development, because development by the government currently means restricted development,” he concludes.