MOVEMENTS & STRUGGLES

NEWS AND UPDATES **** 2020 ****

January 6, New Delhi : NAPM condemens the unprecedented violence unleashed by the masked goons on the JNU campus specifically targeting Student Union activists, students active in anti fee hike agitation, Kashmiri and Dalit students and the faculty members supporting them. The attack left more than 20 students and faculty members with grievous injury, fracture and cuts including severe head injury to JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, Prof Sucharita Sen and others.

January 25, New Delhi : People’s movements, trade unions, women’s groups and others in a joint letter oppose the visit of the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as State guest for Republic Day Parade. They express their opposition to his misogynistic, homophobic and anti-people views and regressive actions taken by him since the time he became President in January, 2019.

January 26, Mumbai : Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) on a petition by Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan upholds the rehabilitation rights of the slum dwellers living on the mangrove land and directs the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to form a committee of experts in order to make a rehabilitation plan for around 1500 families of Ambedkar Nagar slum in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai whose houses were demolished by the mangrove cell of Maharashtra Forest department in May 2017. The order was passed by MSHRC on 30th December 2019, however, the detailed order copy was received by the complainants on 24th January 2020.

January 30, 2020 New Delhi : Samajwadi Samagam flags off its Samajwadi Vichar Yatra from Gandhi Smriti, 30 January Road, Delhi. The inaugural programme was disrupted due to detention of the core members of the yatra by Delhi police till 2 pm. However, the yatra proceeded further with its plan and reached Rewari, and after conducting programs in Kotputli, Shuklawas and Chandwaji, reached Jaipur, where three programs were conducted next day. Yatra travelled to Dudu, Ajmer, Bhilwara, Beawar, Bhim, Udaipur, Dungarpur and Baswadam and entered Madhya Pradesh. The first phase of Yatra was to conclude in Hyderabad on 23 March and pass through 16 states.

The second phase was proposed to start from Champaran on 11 April and conclude in Patna on 17 May covering 10 states. The third phase was to start from Sitabadiyara (Ballia) on 11 October and conclude at Narendra Niketan, Delhi on 31 October. The yatra was to conduct 500 programs across the country led by the chief convener Arun Srivastava and co-convenor Dr. Sunilam (former MLA and NAPM Convener). However, the Yatra was cut-short due to nationwide lockdown in the wake of corona pandemic.

February 16, New Delhi : Second Dalit Literature Festival concludes at Kirorimal College, Delhi University. The theme of the festival was “literature will create a new world”. Several writers and poets like Mamta Kalia, Balli Singh Cheema, Chauthi Ram Yadav, Vimal Thorat and others attended the festival.

March 1-2, Bhopal : NAPM organizes two days discussion forum on the state of rivers in the country. The meeting saw participation of activists, researchers, farmers and fisherfolks from the Narmada, Ganga, Tapi, Krishna, Mahandi and other river basins. The discussions focused around the current status of the river valleys and the threat posed to them due to various ‘developmental’ activities, very specifically dam building and interlinking of rivers.

March 24, New Delhi : Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi orders a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 138 Crore population

of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

March 25 : Several individuals working with the feminist and transgender Organisations, social movements write to the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment pointing to the dire situation of transgender persons in the light of Covid-19 & Lockdown, and call for immediate intervention, with monetary and material support by the central government and state governments. They point that this is also required as in compliance with the directives of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in NALSA vs UoI (14th April, 2014) as well as the spirit of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and obligations of the state, there under.

April 1, Patna : NAPM Bihar writes to CM Nitish Kumar drawing his attention to the severe difficulties being faced by the migrant workers in the wake of the sudden lockdown announced by the Union government to deal with the Corona pandemic. This suddenness has forced thousands of workers to start walking or using other non-motorised vehicles to their villages in Bihar. The memorandum demanded that provisions for their safe travel to their villages are made by the government, appropriate medical facility, food, water and other resources are provided since migrant workers are facing hardship, hunger and deprivation and also police atrocities on the way. It was also demanded that Bihar government undertake proactive steps to liaison with the other state governments and set up a centralized helpline for their relief.

April 9, Delhi : NAPM calls for a nationwide fasting programme “karo naa kuch (do something)” on April 10 to draw government’s attention to the plight of the 43 crore migrant workers, who have been left to fend for themselves in wake of the strict and sudden lockdown announced by the union government.

April 14 : NAPM pays homage to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 129th birth anniversary and reaffirms faith in the Constitution. It also lauds the selfless services of doctors, health and sanitation workers and spontaneous relief efforts from ordinary citizens and civil society in the time of strict lockdown and corona pandemic. It also condemns continued oppression of civil liberties and targeting of dissent through fabricated cases and misuse of government machinery and law enforcement agencies.

April 22, Faridabad : Aman Ki Pahal, a NAPM member, in a statement strongly condemns the mob lynching of two elderly persons in Palghar, Maharashtra. While lauding the immediate action of the Maharashtra Government, they cautioned the attempt of the right-wing elements and certain sections of the media to give a communal twist to the incident. They also demand that the Central Government immediately enact a stringent law on mob lynching as per the Supreme Court’s order.

April 24, New Delhi : Several Jamia Islamia University alumna write to the President of India demanding action be taken against the Delhi police personnel responsible for the police violence on the Jamia campus on the 15th of December, 2019. The letter pointed that the Delhi Police denied all these charges and submitted to the court that they entered the library to protect the students sitting in the library. The fact of the matter is that there is no FIR against the police personnel till now and it is evident from the leaked CCTV footage of the university library that the police used excessive force and violence on the students. It also pointed out that Delhi Police has now engaged in witch-hunt and arrests of the Jamia students and several of them have been arrested in fabricated cases related to the Delhi riots. Letter demanded that the President intervene and ensure justice for the students.

April 30 : NAPM demands immediate withdrawal of draft Environmental Impact Assessment Notification (EIA) 2020. It says the draft attempts to further weaken environmental regulations in name of ‘ease of doing business’, which is a sure doom for environment and no way to fight climate change.

May 1 : On the occasion of May day, NAPM hosts an e-seminar on the topic of Shramik Adhikar : Samman, Nyay aur Janvadi Vikas (Labour Rights: Dignity, Justice & Pro - People Development). Medha Patkar, Prasanna Heggodu, Geetha

Ramkrishnan, P Chennaiah, Richa Singh and Kaladas Bhai spoke on the occasion.

NAPM also salutes the spirit of resilience of millions of workers worldwide and in India, in particular women workers, who even in the midst of the worst pandemic asserted their right to life, livelihood and dignity, despite numerous odds, state apathy and clout of capitalist forces. It also salutes all categories of health care, essential services and relief workers who are risking their lives to keep the nation safe during these trying times.

May 3 : More than 1100 feminists and gender rights activists in an open letter strongly condemn the brazenly malicious attacks, arrests and intimidation by the Delhi Police of Muslim women, students and activists. The letter cites media reports about 800 + anti-CAA protesters who have been detained or arrested since the Covid 19 lockdown. Given the circumstance they had little means or access to lawyers and legal aid, and their families had no information of their whereabouts for extended periods after they were in custody.

May 15 New Delhi : A series of conversations titled “re imagining the future : peoples’ agenda for a post covid economy” is organised collectively by the people’s movements, solidarity and social action groups ending on September 14th 2020. The series organized in the wake of the unprecedented health, economic and livelihoods crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the failures of the neo-liberal corporate led model of economic governance across the world. In the country, despite a brutal 50 day lockdown of the economy, COVID-19 cases continued to mount and newspapers were rife with reports of stranded migrant workers, millions of job losses and rising cases of hunger and malnutrition. The inaugural session was followed by discussions (twice every week, Tuesday and Friday) on themes such as loss of jobs, employment & livelihoods; labour: informal, formal and artisans; industry: small, medium, large; infrastructure; banking, finance and financial markets; mineral extraction; energy; urban sustainability; public sector units; agriculture; fisheries, forest and pastoral May 16 : Social movements, trade unions, women’s organisations and NAPM Himachal Pradesh members appeal to the government of Himachal Pradesh to facilitate their return in the wake of the hardships faced by the migrant workers in the State due to lockdown and shutdown of the factories. The BaddiBarotiwala-Nalagarh Industrial area in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, houses more than 2000 industrial units and is known as the pharma hub of Asia. With an annual turnover of more than 60,000 crores, this zone has a major concentration of migrant workers in the state of Himachal Pradesh, possibly between 1.25 to 1.5 lakh people. These workers belonging to various states mainly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and many others faced severe distress due to the sudden announcement of a country-wide lockdown.

May 17 : Marking the 86th foundation day of Congress Socialist Party two day online conference is organised by socialist organisations. They conclude ‘socialism’ as the only alternative from the current crisis for the country. The conference extends support to the 25th May strike by central trade unions against the repeal of labour laws by the Union government.

May 19 : NAPM condemns absolutely insensitive, anti-poor and anti-working-class approach of the Govt of India, reflected in the ‘mega economic package’ of Rs. 20 lakh crores, announced by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister over a period of 5 days. Despite all word-play around ‘Atma-nirbharta’, the current regime ‘abandoned’ millions of toiling masses, left them to fend for themselves in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic and horribly managed ‘lockdown’. NAPM urged the government to undertake urgent measures to provide food, transport, income, and work support needed to the people, specifically on the margins and migrant workers.

May 20 : NAPM expresses grave concern to the purported moves of the Govt of India to dilute pro-people, pro-environment legislation and

push forth massive projects that are detrimental to national interest. It condemns the clearance granted to the much-hyped Central Vista Project despite 1300 objections raised to the Environment Assessment Committee by environmentalists, historians and concerned citizens. Based on the EAC’s recommendations dated 22nd April, MoEF & CC granted Conditional Environmental Clearance for construction of the new additional Parliament building, which is a part of the ambitious Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista Project. The project envisages a ‘revamp’ of the entire 3-km long Rajpath, including South and North blocks of Central Secretariat and also the Parliament House of India. This revamp also entails that the North and South Block would be converted into museums and many critical offices like Krishi Bhavan, Nirman, Bhavan, Vignan Bhavan have to be demolished. The proposal is to construct a new 900-seater Parliament building by July 2022 and a common Central Secretariat by March 2024.

May 20, Kohima : Reacting to the instances of human rights violations by the 19th Sikh regiment in the third week of May, Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) in its press statement decries the aggressive intrusion into Naga areas under the present state of Manipur against “so-called insurgents”- with whom they are in Ceasefire and Political negotiations. It also condemns the kidnapping and torturing of Naga civilians in Arunachal Pradesh. It further calls upon the Indian civil society organizations, democratic rights institutions, people’s movements as well as the international communities, United Nation’s agencies and others, to take cognisance of these heinous atrocities of the Government of India, who have denied even the basic “right to life” of the Naga people, leave alone the recognition of their people hood.

May 21, Bengaluru : NAPM unequivocally condemns the abusive and misogynistic behaviour of Mr. Madhuswamy, the Minister of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation and Minor Irrigation in Karnataka towards Nalini Gowda, a young woman and farmer’s rights activist in Kolar on May 20 and demands strict action against him. May 29, New Delhi : Supreme Court hears the issues related to the migrant workers on May 28th taken up suo moto, along with the petition filed by Medha Patkar and other social activists of National Alliance of People’s Movements. Court passes several directions for the transport of the migrant workers and relief operations to be carried by the State and the Central government. The petitioners include Narmada Bachao Andolan (MP), Jan Jagaran Shakti Sangathan (Bihar), Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan (Mumbai), Aman Ki Pehel (Delhi & Haryana), National Domestic Workers Union (Delhi), National Campaign Committee for Rural Workers and Maharashtra Rajya Hamal Mapadi Maha Mandal.

June 3, New Delhi : NAPM appeals to join nationwide protests against the arrests of anti-CAA activists by the Delhi and UP police, especially using the draconian UAPA and sedition law. The campaign demands release of all activists of the anti-CAA-NRC-NPR movement; immediate attention to the plight of migrant workers and toiling masses; arrest of the real culprits of the Delhi pogrom; repeal of CAA-NRC-NPR and UAPA. It also appeal to join the twitter storm using the hashtag #SabYaadRakhaJaega #FreeAntiCAAProtesters.

June 18 : NAPM calls upon the government of Kerala to immediately withdraw its ‘revived’ proposal to construct the ecologically destructive Athirappilly Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in the heart of the Western Ghats.

June 23 : NAPM calls for review of the fourlane highway, 400 KV transmission line and double tracking of the railway line through the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park in Goa. It urges Supreme Court to direct Goa and Central government for mandatory compliance of the recommendations in the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel Report.

June 24 : NAPM condemns the diabolical design of the Centre led by the Prime Minister to ‘virtually auction’ 41 coal blocks for commercial mining in the bio-diverse rich, adivasi heartlands of Central and Eastern India and asks for its

cancellation. It says that opening up of these areas to profit-making domestic and foreign corporate mining entities will irreversibly jeopardize the pristine forest lands, increase environmental pollution and public health risk in Covid times and destroy the habitats of a major chunk of the adivasi population and wild-life.

June 29 : NAPM condemns the incomprehensible physical, mental and sexual violence inflicted by the Santhankulam police on two Thoothukudi residents, father-son duo Jayaraj and Bennicks, that led to their painful death in custody on June 22 and 23 respectively. The news caused major uproar in Tamil Nadu and across the country.

June, 29 : Marking 200 days of absolutely unjust arrest of the mass leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Akhil Gogoi on draconian charges, NAPM demands his immediate release and withdrawal of ill-conceived charges foisted against him. It also demands the release of young leaders Bittu Sonowal, Dhaijya Konwar and Manas Konwar associated with KMSS and its sister organizations.

July 2, Bhopal : All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee terms the three farm ordinances brought by the union government as pro-corporate and anti farmer. Dr Sunilam, NAPM National Convener and AIKSCC working committee member criticizes these ordinances brought in the time of the lockdown and also extend support to the 3rd July nationwide strike launched by the central trade unions demanding no changes to the labour laws.

July 4, Patna : NAPM writes to Bihar Chief Minister endorsing the demand raised by Kosi Navnirman Manch to ensure immediate purchase of maize crop by Govt. as per minimum support price (MSP) and ensure disbursement of proceeds to farmers as well as payment of ‘loss differential’ between market price and MSP for previous season maize sale, as per Prime Minister’s Annadata Aay Suraksha Abhiyan.

July 5 : NAPM demands roll back of problematic amendments to the “Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016”and asks to resist attempts to weaken the penal provisions against violations of the provisions of the Act. It demands that the rights of marginalized citizens are prioritized before ‘business sentiments’ and stop the patronizing ‘Divyang Politics’. Accessibility is a fundamental right of every citizen.

July 8 : NAPM write to Kerala Chief Minister seeking review of the cost-benefits of semi high speed train project and take a decision in the interest of the ecology, economy and people’s livelihoods. The proposed project, 532 Kms long, also known as Silver Line Project from Kasargod (north) to Thiruvananthapuram (south), is to be constructed at an estimated cost of INR 67,000 crores by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), a Joint Venture Company under the Government of Kerala and Ministry of Railways, Govt of India. While 3,000 acres of land are to be acquired for the tracks and an additional 2,500 acres would be taken for ‘development’ of smart cities and other commercial establishments near the proposed 10 stations, the actual and full extent of land being frozen for the project is not yet known. It is also estimated that nearly 20,000 families would face displacement and loss of livelihood from the project.

July 12 : NAPM expresses deep concern over the series of destructive and extractive projects being taken up in the bio-diverse rich regions of the North-Eastern states that jeopardize the interests of wild life and humans alike. ‘Dehing Patkai’ famously known as ‘Amazon of the East’ in Upper Assam became a flash point of resistance after the recent “recommendation for approval” by the National Board of Wild Life (NBWL), to allow opencast mining by Coal India Limited in about 98.59 hectares of land in the Saleki Reserve Forest (Digboi), which is a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. It was done ignoring the existing scientific and official evidence of long-standing unlawful mining in the area and ‘legalizing’ the mining in a ‘postfacto mode’. The area is the largest rainforest in India, home to many endangered species and is believed to be the last remaining contiguous patch of rainforest area in the Upper Assam region, extending upto the Deomali elephant reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.

July 16 : Feminist organisations, social movements and activists write to the Chief Justice of Patna High Court in the matter of arrest of a 22-year old survivor of a gangrape along with the two activists who were accompanying her in Araria district on July 10, 2020, right in the midst of recording her statement under S124. The two feminist activists - Kalyani Badola and Tanmay Nivedita were her support givers, who worked with Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, a registered trade union and member of NAPM. The three were sent to judicial custody in Dalsinghsarai Jail in Samastipur district, 250 kms away from Araria, on 11th July 2020. They request the Chief Justice for immediate release of the survivor and activists, as well as quashing of all charges against them; a smooth and quick trial of the incident of gangrape so that the culprits are brought to book; and issuing of state-specific guidelines to ensure that there is a friendly and non-hostile environment in respect of rape/sexual assault cases in adherence with the recommendations of the Justice Verma Commission.

July 19 : NAPM writes to Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel requesting him to stop the eviction of workers in the Bhilai Industrial Area and demolition of their houses in Bijli Nagar. It was reported that around 30 houses of factory workers are slated for demolition in the coming week in Bijli Nagar area of Hathkhoj basti, Bhilai, which will make more than a 100 people homeless, including around 50 children. The basti has been in existence for over 30 years, but is now slated for demolition as the land belongs to Chhattisgarh administration’s Department of Industry and Commerce, which needs to set up new industrial units. The workers have been given no alternative accommodation and no provisions have been made for their resettlement or rehabilitation.

July 28 : 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.

August 5, New Delhi : Marking the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which took away the political autonomy of Jammu & Kashmir, National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements expresses unflinching solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and urges the government of India and the country’s institutions including the judiciary to work towards restoring the special status of the region, demilitarize and fulfil its old promises to the Kashmiri people.

August 5 : NAPM expresses deep anguish at the initiation of the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, through the Bhumi Pujan ceremony which culminated in the laying of the foundation stone today. The participation of none less than the Prime Minister, the Uttar Pradesh administration and its Chief Minister in the ceremony, even though these offices are constitutionally mandated to remain secular, is another blow to constitutional principles. It calls upon people to resist the ‘Hindu rashtra’ project of lies, hatred and violence and demands that perpetrators of the criminal demolition of Babri Masjid must be held legally accountable.

August 13 : NAPM writes to the Home Minister and expresses its deep concerns about the proposed reform of Criminal Law and the constitution of the Committee set-up to carry out this task. It points to the hasty and opaque manner in which the current reforms are being carried out, and strongly urge him to immediately abandon this process and if at all required, undertake a more transparent, consultative and representative approach, at a later time, after the pandemic crisis is addressed fully.

August 15 : Observing 74th Independence Day feminists committed to democratic values in an open statement ask, ‘where is the real independence, the real freedom for citizens to think, speak, write, educate, agitate, organize, resist, dissent or question?’ They mention that from late 2019 to early 2020, we witnessed 100+ days of strong, vibrant, peaceful, feminist, mass people’s movements asserting the vision of a diverse, egalitarian and just India against the deeply discriminatory CAA-NRC-NPR project of the government. However, this was followed by a brutal crackdown by the State in different parts of the country, especially in Delhi which reeled under the worst ‘riots’ in 40 years,

targeted primarily against Muslim populations and leading to fabricated arrest of young women, students, muslims and activists who participated in these protests. This raises questions on the nature of independence citizens enjoy today.

August 16, New Delhi : Inaugural session of the Janta Parliament is held online and is joined by Justice (Retd) AP Shah, Jignesh Mevani, Soni Sori, Syeda Hameed and hundreds others who raise crucial questions for Indian polity and democracy.

August 21, Ranchi : NAPM Jharkhand members write to the Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanding enactment of land laws in line with the Supreme Court judgment in State of Meghalaya vs Dimasha Students Union appeal no 10720/2018 dt 03.07.2019 which recognizes the right over the underground minerals of the community and individual who owns the land. This would ensure that the community ownership the minerals can be established and the forceful eviction for mining can be prevented in the mineral rich state of Jharkhand.

August 26, New Delhi : The week-long (16th to 21st August ) Janta Parliament, concludes with a three hour working session between the Janta Parliament and representatives of political parties. This session of the online Janta Parliament was adjourned after 43 hours of discussions with around 250 speakers, more than a hundred resolutions, over a thousand voting participants and engaging with more than one lakh people on social media. The specific plans for further advocacy around the issues in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament were also announced after further meeting of the organizing committee. Brief statistics, information and highlights from the Janta Parliament may be accessed here: https:// jantaparliament.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/ invite-concluding-session-of-janta-parliament/ A comprehensive ‘People’s Policy for Post COVID-19 Times’ as well as a collation of all resolutions from the Janta Parliament is available here: https://jantaparliament.wordpress.com/ policy-proposals/ advocate Sudha Bhardwaj, in Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case, NAPM condemns the continued incarceration of activists, lawyers, writers and poets by the government. Given the slow and tardy progress of the investigation and failure of the State to prove the false and trumped charges under UAPA, it was demanded that all the prisoners are immediately released and charges dropped. The laws like UAPA must be repealed, since they have no place in a democratic society. It was also demanded that given the pandemic situation bail should be granted to many political and undertrial prisoners to reduce overcrowding in the jails.

September 2 : National Green Tribunal issues notice to 15 mine lease holders and State of Rajasthan for continued illegal mining in Kotputli Teshil, Jaipur district. The petition was filed by Radhe Shyam Shukla and Vimal Bhai on behalf of Mining Affected Struggle Committee.

September 14 : NAPM condemns the arrest of former JNU student leader and youth activist Dr. Umar Khalid. It urges Delhi police to stop coercing ‘confessional’ statements to manufacture evidence and refrain from painting the democratic anti-CAA protests as a ‘conspiracy against the state’. It demands repeal of the draconian UAPA and release of all antiCAA protestors. It further adds that Kapil Mishra and all those who incited the ‘Delhi Riots’ must be arrested.

September 27 : Marking the Historic ‘Harsud Rally’ and in revolutionary remembrance of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Shankar Guha Niyogi and Kishan Patnaik NAPM organizes all India caravan of grass roots struggles from 27th Sep to 10th Dec, 2020 titled “ham to bolenge / we shall speak”.

October 3 : NAPM Condemns the rising caste and gender-based violence in BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh & Gujarat and demands punishment for the rapists & murderers of Dalit women and other victims. It also demands that the administration and police be held accountable given their complete disregard for law and UP Chief Minister must resign for repeatedly failing to safeguard rights of women from marginalized

October 3, New Delhi : NAPM expresses shock and dismay at the verdict of the CBI Special Court acquitting all 32 persons accused of being responsible for the demolition of Babri masjid on December 6, 1992. It alleges that CBI led a weak prosecution based upon defective evidence, even though the Liberhan Commission after its detailed investigation (1992-2009) pointed to the involvement of senior RSS and BJP leaders, including L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. The Judgement running in to 2,300 pages goes at length to say that there was no active conspiracy, which is a mockery of the rule of law. The verdict also fails to remedy the illegality of the demolition, which was recognized by the Supreme Court in its Ayodhya Verdict on November 9, 2019, but on the other hand encouraged claims for demolition of other mosques, leading inevitably to increasing discord, hate and violence in society. The verdict further trivializes Supreme Court’s comment that the Babri masjid demolition was “an egregious violation of rule of law”.

October 4 : Over 10,000 people from all walks of life, cutting across caste, religion, gender, occupation and community coming together from almost every state in India and more than a dozen countries across the world such US, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Hong Kong, Japan, Nepal, Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia etc demand justice for the heinous rape, brutalising attack and murder of a young Dalit woman from Hathras. The statement while condemning the incident says that “despite a continuing saga of countless other cases of brutal sexual assault and murders especially of young Dalit women the conscience of this nation does not seem to be shaken enough to do anything serious to stop the systematic targeting of women, Dalits and the poor.” It also criticises the failing law and order in the state of Uttar Pradesh and rising instances of violence and rape against women and minorities.

October 10 : Movements from Madhya Pradesh join the online caravan as part of the We Shall Speak series organized by NAPM. October 14 : A memorial meeting for T Peter, General Secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) is organised by NAPM, NFF, PIPFPD, DSG and others. He passed away on 8 October 2020 from COVID-19 related complications in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 62 years old. Peter fought for more than three decades, as a full time activist and union organiser, to empower India’s fishing communities and played a critical role in advancing their struggles from the margins into the political mainstream. He joined the Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation (KSMTF) in the early 1980s as a young militant organiser in the fight against trawlers which were destroying both the fragile coastal ecosystems and traditional livelihoods. He quickly rose through the union ranks, first to district-level leader and then to state president. His soulful association with groups as a cultural activist before being a political activist brought him closer to the community wherever he went. After passing on the state leadership mantle to the next generation, Peter spent his last years playing a creative and active role at the national and international levels.

October 15 : Movements from Jharkhand join the online caravan as part of the We Shall Speak series organized by NAPM.

October 17 : Movements from Chattisgarh join the online caravan as part of the We Shall Speak series organized by NAPM.

October 18 : National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) completes ten years of its existence as a specialised body for adjudication of environmental cases in India. The NGT Act was passed on May 5, 2010, in the backdrop of need for expert intervention for growing environmental cases, identified by the Supreme Court and recommended by the Law Commission in its 186th Report. Since its inception, the NGT has championed the cause of Environment and pushed the boundary of environmental jurisprudence evolved by the Supreme Court since the 1970s. Over one decade, the NGT has moved beyond its statutory ties of jurisdiction, powers and procedure by exercising suo moto jurisdiction, condonation of delay and displaying flexibility in procedure & damage

assessment. At the same time, it has been mired in debates surrounding its limitation as statutory body, concerns regarding implementation and bureaucratic dependence in its appointment and operation. Over the past ten years, NGT has unquestionably witnessed its ebb and flow.

October 19 : Movements from Odisha join the online caravan as part of the We Shall Speak series organized by NAPM.

October 20 : NAPM fact finding report on Hathras incident is released by the team that visited Bulgarhi village (Hathras, Uttar Pradesh) and met the family and relatives of victim on 9th October, 2020. The team comprised of Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey, Manimala, Faisal Khan and others.

October 20, Bhubaneshwar : Prafulla Samantra, President Lok Shakti Abhiyan and Adviser NAPM writes to Governor of Odisha demanding implementation of PESA and FRA-2006 to protect 160 acres of land belonging to SCs and STS being transferred to Odisha Industrial Development Corporation in Kosaguda village, Nawarangapur district without the mandatory consent of Gram Sabha.

November 5 : More than 200 farm unions from 22 states organise a nationwide road blockade against new laws introduced by the Modi government that relaxes restrictions governing the purchase and sale of farm produce, eases out constraints on stocking, and enables contract farming.

November 25 – 26 : All India Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti (AIKSCC) gives a call to march to Delhi in protest against the three farm acts passed by the government of India. November 26 : The police at Haryana’s Ambala district uses water cannons and tear gas to stop farmers from reaching Delhi. Reports say the Haryana government has dug trenches on the roads leading to Delhi as part of their efforts to stop farmers from travelling to the capital.

November 27 : Farmers set up camps on the highways on the city’s border, in defiance of the police permission for the protest at a site in November 28 : Home minister Amit Shah offers to hold talks with the farmers as soon as they vacate Delhi borders and move to the designated protest site in Burari. Rejecting his offer, the protesting farmers demand to hold the protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and continue to camp at Delhi borders.

December 1 : The Modi government holds the first round of talks with leaders of 35 farm unions. The meeting remains inconclusive. December 3 : A marathon eight-hour meeting between the government and farmer union heads ends in a deadlock.

December 8 : Protesting farmers call for a nationwide shutdown and demand a complete rollback of the new farm laws. The shutdown gathers support from many opposition parties and trade unions, especially in Punjab and Haryana. A meeting between home minister Shah and a selected group of farmers’ representatives fails to achieve a breakthrough.

December 9 : Leaders of farmer unions boycott services offered by industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani saying the new farm laws favour large corporates.

December 16 : The apex court suggests that the centre put the new farm laws on hold while putting forward the idea of constituting an impartial and independent committee to end the impasse.

December 21 : Farmers hold a one-day hunger strike at protest sites near Delhi borders.

December 22 : More than 35 social, political, farmer organisations, and trade and labour unions hold a peaceful protest in Mumbai to show their support.

December 30 : Some headway is made in a fresh round of talks between the government and union leaders when the former agrees to drop the penal provisions against farmers in an ordinance relating to stubble burning and to put on hold a proposed electricity amendment law.

Janauary 4 : Reliance Industries, owned by India’s richest person Mukesh Ambani, says it will never enter contract farming. A fresh meeting between the farmers and the government ends without a solution as the union leaders continue to press for the withdrawal of the three farm laws.

January 12 : The supreme court puts on hold the implementation of the three farm laws and sets up a committee to evaluate any changes to the laws. The committee is given a two-month deadline.

January 15 : Another round of talks between the farmers and the government fails to end the deadlock.

January 20 : In a fresh round of talks, the Modi government proposes to suspend the three farm laws for one-and-half years and set up a joint committee to discuss the legislation. The farmers, however, reject the proposal and continue their demand for a complete rollback of the laws.

January 22 : The government hardens its stand and says the next round of talks will be held only when the farmers agree to discuss the suspension proposal.

January 23 – 31 : Marking its 20th year of existence and due to corona pandemic, World Social Forum organizes its first global virtual summit. The event was scheduled to be held earlier in Mexico. First organised in 2001 by organisations and social movements in Porto Alegre/Brazil, with the goal to act as a counterpoint to the neoliberalism represented by the World Economic Forum, which has been held every year in Davos/Switzerland since 1971. Besides the first editions in Porto Alegre (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005), the WSF travelled the world with events happening in Mumbai, Caracas, Karachi, Bamako, Nairobi, Belém, Dakar, Tunis, Montreal and Salvador da Bahia. Thematic, regional and continental editions were also held. The Forum process has been a space of expression for movements working towards a different globalization. There have been 13 face-to-face WSF editions and a decentralized one that connected local events through online platforms in 2008. January 24 : The Delhi police allows farmers to hold a tractor rally in the national capital to mark the completion of two months of their protest. The permission is limited to a fixed route through the city.

January 25 : The meeting between the representatives of the joint platform of Central Trade Unions and the Samyukta Sangharsh Morcha of farmers is held on 22nd January, which congratulates the farmers for their determined struggles and extends support to demands for repeal of three farm laws. The meeting pays homage to the farmers who lost their lives during the course of the protests. The meeting also deplores the use of NIA, ED, Income tax department and filing of criminal cases to threaten and intimidate the leadership of the agitation and innocent farmers. It demands that the Central Government take cognizance of widening support to Kisan agitation, stop delaying tactics and accept the just demands of the Farmers graciously at once.

January 26 : Sanyukt Kisan Morcha holds historic tractor rally across the country, which remains peaceful all across. A group of farmers deviate from the route and march towards Lal Quila leading to the altercation with the police and in the ensuing police violence one farmer dies.

January 27 : Sanyukt Kisan Morcha braves the malicious campaign and pressure from the media and State over the violence at lal quila and vows to continue the protest against the three contentious farm laws untill they are repealed. Delhi police file 22 FIRs against farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, Medha Patkar and others in connection to the violence on Republic Day.

January 28 : Sanyukt Kisan Morcha call off their march to the parliament on February 1. A couple of farm unions from Uttar Pradesh— Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan—end their protest and dissociate themselves from the agitation. At night, the Uttar Pradesh police forcefully remove the protesting farmers sitting on the DelhiSaharanpur highway.

- NAPM

Reports show that over the past years, more than 150 journalists in India were arrested, had FIRs lodged against them, were detained and interrogated, either under ‘terror’ related charges, sedition charges or UAPA, and, after the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, under the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act as well. The year 2020 alone saw 20% of these cases, with the large majority concentrated in BJP ruled states. At a time when many journalists are also staring at retrenchments and livelihood insecurity, the presence of threats entailed by the very nature of reporting under this regime only makes matters worse. It is now evident that large sections of mainstream media have been steadily converted into a toxic propaganda machine, reflecting solely the voice of the Centre, peddling lies, hate and misinformation incessantly. At the same time, journalists who stand by the ethics of their profession face threats and even violence, with almost 200 physical attacks against them between 2014 and 2019, and multiple deaths.

Less than a month and a half into 2021, the instances of violence against and targeting of journalists are already too many to count. One of the most blatant examples is the recent raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Newsclick, an independent online news platform. Starting the 9th February, over 8 premises, including the office of Newsclick, homes of some of its journalists and senior management were raided. For over a marathon 113 hours, the ED camped at the residence of editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha & writer Githa Hariharan, virtually placing them in home detention for 5 days. NewsClick has been consistently reporting on the farmers’ protests and also on an entire range of people’s movements and issues ignored by much of the mainstream media.

On 30th January, Mandeep Punia, a freelance journalist who has contributed for The Caravan magazine and Junputh, was dragged by the Delhi Police across the police barricades at Singhu Border, from where he had been reporting from day 1 of the Farmers’ Protests. An FIR was registered against him in Alipur Police Station at 1.21 a.m. for allegedly ‘assaulting a police official’ at around 6:30 pm, the previous evening. His is one of the rare cases in recent times in which an arrested journalist receives bail, along with a clear acknowledgement by the Magistrate that ‘bail is a rule and jail is an exception.’

As many as five FIRs have been filed against prominent journalists Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Zafar Agha, The Caravan magazine’s editor and founder Paresh Nath, its editor Anant Nath and executive editor Vinod K Jose. The given grounds for the FIRs are allegedly ‘promoting enmity between different groups, insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal conspiracy’. These FIRs pertain to tweets and reports which alleged that a farmer was shot on 26th January, during the Farmers’ Republic Day Parade. On 30th January, the UP police filed an FIR against Siddharth Varadarajan, Founder Editor of The Wire for a report that had the allegations of the dead farmer’s family.

Prior to this, on 25th January 2021, three Kanpur based TV journalists, Mohit Kashyap, Amit Singh and Yasin Ali, were booked after they ran a story that showed how children in a government school were shivering in the cold while practising yoga in the open. This took place during a government event which was attended by the technology minister in the UP government, Ajit Singh Pal. On 20th January 2021, a lower court in Gujarat issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in a defamation case filed by Adani against him for stories published in The Wire in 2017. The Gujarat High Court subsequently suspended the warrant and directed him to appear before the lower court in the matter.

Also in January, journalists Dhiren Sadokpam, Paojel Chaoba and M Joy Luwang from Manipur were arrested for a piece in The Frontier Manipur. They were charged with sedition and under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), laws which have been used indiscriminately across the country against activists and journalists alike, especially in the past few years. The arrest and unconstitutional incarceration of Siddique Kappan is symbolic of this repression. He was on his way to report the Hathras rape case in Uttar Pradesh when he and three others were charged and arrested under UAPA. He has been in jail since October 2020 without trial or bail, not even allowed to meet his extremely ill, 90-year-old mother.

On 22nd November 2020, a TV journalist, identified as Pongi Naganna was arrested in Vishakapatnam, on the charge of being a ‘courier’ for the Maoists. This arrest was followed by arrests of many other activists under UAPA. Other major instances of journalists being targeted include the repeated arrests and incarceration over months, of Prashant Kanojia for social media posts calling out the UP Govt.

Looking back at 2020 reveals that this trend is not new. In November, 2020 the Meghalaya High Court refused to quash criminal proceedings against Patricia Mukhim, Editor of Shillong Times for a Facebook post which was seen as tantamount to promoting ‘disharmony between communities’. Earlier in November 2019, N Venugupal, the editor of Veekshanam, a progressive Telugu magazine, was charged under UAPA and the Telangana Public Security Act.

On 26th September, 2020 senior journalist Kamal Shukla, editor of Bhumkal Sumatra magazine and head of the Patrakar Suraksha Kanoon Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, was physically assaulted in Kanker (North Bastar) district of Chhattisgarh. Also in September, 2020 journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was arrested by the Manipur Police on charges of sedition to be granted bail only in December.

The continued incarceration, for over 2 years, of Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been charged under UAPA allegedly on grounds unrelated to his journalism, is one of many reminders that journalists in Kashmir have been reporting under atrocious conditions of surveillance and violence, especially after the abrogation of Article 370. It is an extremely sad reflection of our ‘democracy’ that crucial constitutional matters such as blanket media and internet curbs in Kashmir have not been attended to with due urgency even by the Apex Court.

The attitude of the state towards journalists and the many strategies of suppression they employ also include and encourage attacks specifically targeted against women journalists such as Neha Dixit, Pushpa Rokde and many others. The journalists mentioned above are by no means representative of the range of attacks that have taken place in the past decade. Journalists working in conflict zones, in non-metro areas, face challenges and forms of repression which often do not even make the news. We, therefore, need to be constantly vigilant to safeguarding the interests of those who are reporting from difficult conditions.

Article-19 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech & expression through writing, printing, pictures, electronic broadcasting and media and it is fundamental to the idea of democracy. The control over information and news by the Central and state governments through brutal measures is nothing but fascist in nature and goes against the democratic framework enshrined in the Indian Constitution. While there is a need for legal frameworks for the protection of journalists, the steps proposed by some states, like the Maharashtra Media Person and Media Institutions Bill (2017) and the proposed Chhattisgarh Protection of Media Persons Act (2020) are insufficient, especially in instances where reporting takes place against government authorities who are then tasked with protecting the journalists.