Amnesty International India, is in the eye of a storm for alleged sedition after an event held in Bengaluru on August 13 about alleged abuses by Indian security forces in Kashmir
Amnesty International India, is in the eye of a storm for alleged sedition after an event held in Bengaluru on August 13 about alleged abuses by Indian security forces in Kashmir. The event was called Broken Families. The event snowballed into chaos after Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists raised objections.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists during the protest against Amnesty International, India. Pic/PTI
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Excerpts from an e-mail interview with Amnesty International India programmes director, Tara Rao:
Q. Sedition charges have been filed against Amnesty...
A. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Bengaluru police on August 15, against “Amnesty International India representatives” and “others”. No charges have been filed yet in the case.
Activists demonstrate in support of the army and against ‘anti-nationalism’ in Bangalore. Pic/AFP
Q. The police were invited for this particular event, did you anticipate trouble?
A. As Kashmir is an emotionally charged issue, we had informed the Bengaluru police in advance and invited them to the event, for the security of invitees. There were some heated exchanges during the event, but no violence.
Q. The event was held to protest rights violations in Kashmir at the hands of security forces. Security forces too have died doing their duty in Kashmir… isn’t there two sides to the story? Organisations like yours believe in human rights only when it is about the minority. What about those who die fighting terrorists?
A. We have condemned human rights abuses by armed groups in Kashmir and elsewhere in India. An extract from our 2015 Annual Report: “In March, three men were tortured and killed in Lohardaga, Jharkhand state, allegedly by Maoist fighters. In May, around 250 villagers were abducted and held hostage for a day in Sukma, Chhattisgarh state, reportedly by Maoist fighters attempting to pressurise the state government to stop work on a bridge. Maoist armed groups were accused of threatening and intimidating Adivasi (Indigenous) people and occupying schools...”
Q. Do you feel space for dissent is narrowing?
A. There has been a gradual shrinking of space for dissent. There are worrying signs that the central government is using the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to restrict the freedom of association of civil society organizations. India has a vibrant civil society movement that has constitu-tionally guaranteed rights to freedom of association.
Q. The DJ, Roushan Illahi or MC Kash sang a song at your event. Was this anti-India?
A. Roushan Illahi (also known as MC Kash) performed the song ‘Heart of a rebel’. The song is available online. The right to freedom of expression covers cultural and artistic expression, and any restrictions on this right must be clearly defined, and demonstrably necessary and proportionate to protect certain specified public interests.
Q. Have you been targeted because your executive director, Aakar Patel, is seen as an anti-Modi figure?
A. Authorities rarely like to hear about allegations of human rights violations against them. Many different governments at the central and state level have attacked NGOs that don’t toe the government line.
Q. Were Azaadi slogans raised after the event? Did that Azaadi mean freedom from India, that Kashmir wants to break away from India?
A. Towards the end of the event, some of those who attended raised slogans, some of which referred to calls for ‘Azaadi’. No Amnesty International India staff raised any slogans.
Q. Why are you accused of being pro-Pakistan and pro-ISI, supporting terrorism?
A. Those who make this accusation may be better able to answer the question. Amnesty stands up for the rights of people everywhere in the world. We have campaigned to hold the Pakistani authorities, their army, accountable for a series of human rights violations. We have publicised its record as the third most prolific executioner in the world. Human rights violations in Baluchistan have been a longstanding campaign issue for Amnesty International.
Q. What is Amnesty’s stand on Kashmir, should it be a part of India? Any stand on Burhan Wani's death?
A. The organisation does not take a stand for or against self-determination anywhere, including Kashmir. Burhan Wani was a member of the Hizbul Mujahideen armed group, who was killed by security forces. We have consistently opposed rights abuses by armed groups.
Q. Today, it is fashionable to be anti-government and anti-Modi. The cleave between the ‘nationalists’ and ‘anti-nationals’ is widening?
A. The term ‘anti-national’ is a much abused one. Those who seek to break from India’s long tradition of pluralism and debate are the ones who do India a disservice, not the people who campaign against injustice.
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