The police terror in Lalgarh has now been compounded by attempts to extend the terror to other parts of West Bengal, including Calcutta. The arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato, leader of the peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) was done in a flagrantly illegal manner, with police dressed as journalists arresting him, rather than being in uniform, and not providing the arrest memo in accordance with a Supreme Court judgement. He has subsequently been subjected to a media trial, instead of being given fair opportunity to defend himself. Every day, the police are releasing supposed news about what he has confessed, while he is held incommunicado and not being allowed to confer with a lawyer. The police have also planted about 20 cases against Mahato. It is worth noting that till June 13, 2009, the Government was in regular dialogue with the PCAOPA. So the allegation that there are so many cases against him is clearly a police plant. After his arrest, his so-called confessions are being used to on one hand carry out his character assassination, by alleging that he has a Rs. 1 crore (Rs.10 million or about $ 209950) life insurance policy, and on the other hand trying to terrorise all those who have supported the peoples’ movement in Lalgarh, by alleging that they have aided Maoist terrorism and so forth. No confession can stand in a court of law as evidence against the accused. So it is the criminal intent of the senior police officials and the home secretary and the chief secretary of the Government of West Bengal to influence the court and the public opinion even before the commencement of the legal proceedings on Mahato in the court of law.
On October 3, 2009, the Chief Secretary of West Bengal declared that anyone extending support to the Lalgarh movement would be viewed as law violators. This is a bid to create terror and destroy the massive support enjoyed by the Lalgarh movement. Following this tactics, every evening, media persons are being granted “leakages”, stating one day that a civil liberties activist was suspected, on another day that a noted female author was suspected, so that intellectuals and activists who are fighting for civil liberties and supporting Lalgarh draw back.
We unconditionally condemn this state terrorism.
We demand the immediate scrapping of UAPA.
We demand the immediate and the release of all those who have been arrested under UAPA.
We also extend solidarity to all those rights activists who are being threatened by the police and the state for their defence of civil liberties.
For friends abroad who may not be fully aware of the events, we are appending an article, the Bengali version of which is due to come out in the forthcoming issue of Radical, the Bengali journal of Radical Socialist, as well as a statement issued by an all India civil liberties organization. See on ESSF:
Lalgarh Movement: Our Stand
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article15154
West Bengal: Condemn strongly the malicious media trial of Chhatradhar Mahato!
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article15155