This refers to your cover story on laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the National Security Act (NSA) (Tyranny of Terror Laws, August 2). A plethora of such anti-people, anti-democratic laws exist for the mighty state to unleash legal terror on hapless citizens. The State is almighty because it has the legal monopoly to use violence as a tool to rule and govern. Especially after the alleged “institutional murder” of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest and social activist working among Adivasis, while in custody under UAPA, it’s high time these laws were scrapped. They are mostly used against poets, artists, journalists, social workers, activists, including those working on climate change, and even doctors. Because of this, calling India the largest democracy in the world sounds like a cruel joke. When these laws target the most deprived and disenfranchised people, such as Dalits, Adivasis and minorities, they cannot afford the huge legal costs involved in fighting for justice in the courts. They step out of jail only after many years, when they are finally declared innocent. But they never really walk free and most live the rest of their lives as living corpses. The police always know that such cases wouldn’t stand legal scrutiny, as the conviction rate is less than 2 per cent, but they routinely use it to jail people without having to wait for the courts to decide on guilt or innocence.
Rakesh Agrawal, Dehradun
A brute majority in Parliament, a carefully cultivated tough image, the headiness of majoritarianism, a muscular approach to issues and a brook-no-criticism attitude mean that the laws of the land need to be subservient to those in power. And this is exactly what is happening. In the name of fighting those who disturb the peace and pose risks to the nation, the vaguely worded anti-terror laws are being used against anyone who refuses to toe the government line. When people are picked up on mere suspicion, the tardy process of law ensures that their incarceration doesn’t end any time soon. Consequently, the trauma of those who were deprived of their freedom and basic rights by being held in prison for years remains with them forever. Starting life again from scratch isn’t easy. Even when the courts accept that they were wrongly imprisoned, nobody is held responsible for it. Thus, the high handedness of the State continues unabated. This has become a regular feature now, making people worry that our democracy may gradually slip into autocracy.
Vijai Pant, On E-Mail
A brilliant cover and a true story. Great reporting.
Kannan Subramanian, On E-Mail
This refers to Lawful Terror by Ruben Banerjee (To the Point, August 2). No political party has taken a stand against the draconian laws that are wreaking havoc on the constitutional rights and freedoms conferred on citizens of the Republic of India, and hurting conscientious people. Ultimately, the people are responsible for such a diabolical situation. The State acts as a terrorist, using force ruthlessly to curb organised crimes. In the process, it may violate laws and the rights of citizens. When in power, every party needs the very laws that are called ‘draconian’ especially by those who are out of power. Hence all such laws have been fortified by making them more stringent and harsher, whether the laws were inherited from the British or enacted by the elected governments of independent India. As the State has to keep on demonstrating its power in order to keep elements prone to act against the State on their toes, a few innocents may get victimised. But if a government keeps people divided and misuses the laws by jailing whoever is “not their man”, and without bail for indefinite periods, people have to change the government when they get the opportunity.
M.N. Bhartiya, Alto-Porvorim (Goa)
This refers to By Stealth, Stakeout and Spyware (August 2). PM Narendra Modi is not the first politician to be accused of surveillance. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Ramakrishna Hegde, P. Chidambaram and many others have also been accused of indulging in it. But the Pegasus row highlights a significant aspect in which Modi stands out from the rest. His government surveils, besides political foes, ordinary people who speak out against the mega fiascos he has presided over. Pegasus forms a continuum with the use of UAPA, NSA and sedition charges to terrorise dissidents.
George Jacob, Kochi
In his treatise on statecraft, Kautilya assigned great value to espionage for maintaining internal and external security. Indeed, 10 central intelligence agencies have been legally authorised in India to tap telephones. Every government keeps a close watch on political opponents through the police and intelligence agencies. A developing country like India, which faces constant threats from terrorists and the drug mafia, will have to intercept digital information to protect its sovereignty and integrity. However, the report that the phones of journalists, politicians and activists have been brought under illegal surveillance by the Centre has sent shock waves across the country. The Centre must make it clear in Parliament that it has not used the Pegasus spyware to snoop on Indian citizens.
Kangayam R. Narasimhan, Chennai
At a time when the country is firefighting crises on all fronts, the Pegasus row is unfortunate. However, it cannot be brushed under the carpet. The ruling BJP has slammed the Opposition for indulging in disruptive politics by coming out with a strategy not to debate and discuss pressing issues, but only to score brownie points ahead of crucial polls in five states early next year. The government has to come clean by ordering a court-monitored inquiry immediately to get to the bottom of the truth.
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad
This refers to your story on Left culture in Bengal politics (Ciao, On a Song and a Slogan, August 2). It should be noted that the post-2006 migration of cultural activists away from the CPI(M) differs greatly from the past instances of 1967, when the Naxalite movement was gathering momentum, and 1977, when the Left Front came to power. The recent reluctance of artists and intellectuals to associate themselves with the CPI(M) comes not from Naxalite idealism or the insistence on being anti-establishment, but from the lust for fame and power that they criticise so eloquently in their lavishly produced plays and steeply priced books. The legacy of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) has been tarnished. No longer are cultural activities targeted at the working class. But it does not stop there. Sycophantic philistines are given important posts, exemplified by the prestigious chairmanship of the Kolkata International Film Festival going to Trinamool legislator Raj Chakraborty. But there is hope yet. With the CPI(M) slowly fading, there is space for an alternative Communist politics in Bengal. To support and nurture this politics, there are organic intellectuals still, like theatrician Joyraj Bhattacharya and singer Arko Mukherjea. For our generation of Communists, their voices will amplify the countless voices that their predecessors chose not to. The farcical ‘non-Left Left’ will be exposed, and the working class will step forth to raise their voices against the morally bankrupt urban intelligentsia who have ever betrayed them.
Aahir Ghosh, Calcutta