Addressing mediapersons at a press conference organised by People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) at Sahodaya Hall, Balmatta here on Sunday, the national general secretary of PUCL said that the organisation was concerned about the dismal state of human rights in India today and suppression of dissent among people across India.
Today, the police department and state agencies have become agents of prosecution and suppression of people to such an extent that there is a situation of near total breakdown of the democratic system across India. The Indian democracy is in peril because of the abuse of the law by the government, he said, adding that the state was forming new laws which facilitated the corporate invasion and was using police power to crush any possibility of dissent among its citizens against anti-people programmes.
“We are witnessing plundering of India's natural resources at an alarming rate. The directive principles of freedom, equality and independence today are being endangered today. People need to be informed of the grim situation in the country,” he said, giving a call to people to raise their voices and reclaim the democracy from the government and the corporates.
Fact-finding committee for Muzaffarnagar riots
Speaking of the violent communal riots that have lashed Muzaffarnagar in UP, he said that the kind of deaths seen in the region was shocking. The emergence of communal clashes in sensitive regions is a dangerous trend cropping up ahead of elections, which needs to be tackled, he said, adding that PUCL would constitute a national fact-finding committee to find out what was happening in Muzaffarnagar.
Mr Suresh also said that members of PUCL were seeking to create a mass-movement to urge the government to repeal the Sedition Law in India.
‘Food security bill insufficient, inadequate'
Speaking of the food security bill that was passed in the Parliament recently, human-rights activist and PUCL secretary Kavita Srivastava said that the bill was only a minimalistic bill which did not fully guarantee food security.
She said that the food security meant affordable and nutritious food, but however, the bill was equivalent merely to a mid-day meal scheme. On an average a person needs 10.8 kilograms of cereal, but the bill guarantees only 5 kilograms per person. The food security bill has reduced the entitlement of food when compared to the order passed by the Supreme Court. It is insufficient and inadequate, she said.
“The bill does not include any incentives for farmers for food production. The bill also leaves out the destitutes and the homeless. A very long struggle needs to be undertaken for a comprehensive food bill. It also needs to be ensured that the bill does not facilitate entry of private food contractors,” she said.
PUCL national president Prof Prabhakar Sinha, vice-presidents Dr Binayak Sen, Ravi Kumar Jain and P B D'Sa were present among others.
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