Red Wave in JNU
The United Left Panel has emerged victorious in the JNUSU Elections held after a gap of four years on March 22. The results are a decisive mandate against the right-wing ABVP and the politics of communalism and hatred.

The President, Dhananjay of AISA, won with a total of 2,598 votes in his favour, and a lead of 922 votes. Avijit Ghosh of SFI won the post of vice president securing 2409 votes and for the post Joint Secretary, MdSajid of AISF won with 2574. Meanwhile, Priyanshi Arya of BAPSA was elected as General Secretary securing 2887 votes. After the last-minute cancellation of candidature of left panel candidate Swati Singh of DSF for the post of Joint Secretary, the United Left issued the call to support Priyanshi to ensure 'Not an Inch to ABVP'.

At a time when the BJP government along with the ABVP had been constantly attempting to destroy JNU’s democratic ethos and idea of inclusive education, the result of JNUSU elections have reverberated across the country. The election witnessed highest voter turnout of 73% with 5,656 students participating in the voting process.
ML Update

Women Behind Bars
The number of women inmates in Pakistan’s prisons is rising. Accusations of blasphemy and limited economic opportunities for women are among the reasons behind the increase.

Bricklayer RafiqMasih and his four children have been living in fear since August 2021, when his wife was arrested in Islamabad for allegedly committing blasphemy.

Having lived in Pakistan's capital for many years, the Christian minority family had to move to the adjoining city of Rawalpindi to live a low-profile life for their own safety.

Shagufta Kiran, 48, a nurse, was moved into detention on the charge of making derogatory remarks about Islam in a WhatsApp messaging group.

‘‘During a discussion, some Muslim members of the WhatsApp group found Shagufta's words about the teachings of Islam blasphemous, made screenshots and reported them to police”.

Like Kiran, most women prisoners in the country are awaiting trial, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Human Rights. Women make up 1.5% of the prison population in Pakistan.
Jamila  Achakzai, Pakistan

NATO 75
Hastings Ismay, the first Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO, once quipped that the goal of the alliance was "to keep the Soviets out, the Americans in, and the Germans down”.

Today, the Soviets are out, the US seems here to stay, and the Germans are weaker by the day. Yet NATO continues to exist. Since it was founded on 4 April 1949, it has been a force for reaction, division, and war—both in Europe and beyond.

NATO's mission was never just about "containing communism". From Angola to Guinea-Bissau, Western Sahara to Palestine, NATO's fingerprints been found on the frontlines of major colonial wars—working to preserve and expand the US and European imperial reach further afield.

At the 1955 Afro–Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru condemned the alliance as “one of the most powerful protectors of colonialism”. Years later, after NATO destroyed Libya, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro called it “the most perfidious instrument of repression known to mankind”.

That is why, as NATO prepares to hold its 75th anniversary, progressives are calling for a Global Day of Action Against NATO — and joining forces with other progressive organisations planning events around the date. As of today, there are 12 actions planned across six countries scheduled between 30 March and 7 April, with more on the way.
Pawel Wargan
Campaign Coordinator
Progressive International
March 29, 2024

Arvind Kejriwal
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) strongly condemns the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged excise scam. This marks another chapter of the Modi regime's unbridled emergency and the conspiracy to stifle opposition and democratic voices in the country.

Arvind Kejriwal is the second elected Chief Minister after Hemant Soren of Jharkhand who has been arrested under politically motivated allegations which are far from being proved. In Delhi, other leading Aam Aadmi Party leaders–Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh–have also been arrested in the recent past under the same allegation as the Chief Minister. As is the norm these days, none of them have got bail and remain in jail despite no charge-sheet or trial in sight.

Since 2014, when Modi came to power, around 95 percent of the ED related cases have been against opposition leaders. Clearly, this pattern reflects the politics of vengeance by unleashing ED against those who speak against the Modi regime's anti-people policies.

Over the last few years, the Bharatiya Janata Party led union government has brazenly used the federal investigative agencies like the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to harass and intimidate opposition leaders across the country. Leaders of non-BJP state governments have been key targets. Recently, bank accounts of the Indian National Congress have been frozen.

Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest comes at a time when the BJP government is under the scanner for its use of electoral bonds to acquire vast amounts of wealth from big corporations. The Supreme Court recently declared these bonds unconstitutional and their details have been recently made public. Kejriwal’s arrest seems like a desperate but draconian method to try and flip the narrative.

The arrests, intimidation and harassment of the opposition in the weeks preceding the Lok Sabha elections show how little the government cares about democratic processes. Given the scale of unrest in the country due to discriminatory and undemocratic laws, state-sponsored majoritarian violence, soaring inequality and unemployment, and unprecedented accumulation of wealth and power by big corporations, the government fears that peoples’ anger may upset their applecart in the elections. Hence, it is leaving no stone unturned to eliminate any effective opposition.

CPIML demands that Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren, Manish Sisodia, along with other opposition leaders, must be immediately released. CPIML appeals to all opposition parties to strengthen their unity in this difficult hour and with the support of the Indian people give the ruling party a fitting rebuff in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
CPIML-Liberation

NRC in Assam
For those entangled in the NRC process and facing exclusion, it’s a profoundly life-altering experience, irrespective of the outcome. CJP has been acutely attuned to this reality since the inception of Team Assam over five years ago. Our approach extends beyond offering crucial legal aid in foreigners’ tribunals and courts. The CJP team engages in dialogue, counseling, and delivers both para-legal and direct legal counsel to those in need. This is how we endeavor to mitigate the hardships faced by individuals caught in the upheaval of the citizenship crisis.

A total of 18 success stories in 2023 alone, with all being declared Indian by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunal through the year. But what does it take, for a paralegal and legal team to achieve this? CJP’s Team Assam, as this detailed document reveals shows grit and dedication in collating and submitting authentic documents, presenting cogent Written Statements and finally vital Witnesses, in person!

Meet CJP’s Team Assam: their determination, authentic documentation, compelling statements, and crucial witness testimonies made it happen!

Key Achievements: Our dedicated team of 8 District Volunteer Motivators (DVMs) operate across two dozen districts in the state, reaching out to 5/6 affected families every week.

Services provided include psychological and legal counseling, documentation assistance, para-legal aid, and connecting with our team of five district-level lawyers, each supported by two junior lawyers.

Geographical Reach: Our DVMs are actively involved in 12 districts, collaborating with a wider network of community volunteers in three additional districts, including the Barack Valley.

Success Rate: Through these concerted efforts, we have achieved an impressive success rate of 15/20 cases annually, with individuals successfully obtaining their Indian citizenship.

Explore the most common queries surrounding the Assam citizenship conundrum with our Frequently Asked Questions. Delve into Understanding the Citizenship Crisis in Assam for clear insights.
Citizens for Justice and Peace

Crackdown on Opposition
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Indian government’s crackdown on peaceful dissent and opposition has now reached a crisis point. The authorities have repeatedly exploited and weaponised various financial and terrorism laws to systematically crackdown on human rights defenders, activists, critics, non-profit organisations, journalists, students, academics and political opposition. The arrest of ArvindKejriwal and the freezing of Indian National Congress’ bank accounts a few weeks before India holds its general elections show the authorities’ blatant failure to uphold the country’s international human rights obligations.

“The growing crackdown clearly shows the authorities’’ blatant disregard for human rights and rule of law. Authorities must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of everyone in the country including human rights defenders, activists, and opposition candidates before, during and after the general elections which are due to begin in April 2024. Authorities must also ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims of human rights violations.

“State institutions must be allowed to function independently and effectively. Authorities must stop weaponising the criminal justice system to intimidate and harass human rights defenders, activists and opposition candidates”.

The AAP and INC are together part of the I.N.D.I.A. group forming the main political opposition in the country.

On 31 January, Hemant Soren, now-former Chief Minister of Jharkhand state and member of the opposition party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and continues to be in jail.

India's deteriorating human rights situation, in particular the crackdown on government critics ahead of the upcoming General Elections has been criticised by the United Nations and its special rapporteurs and most recently by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in a hearing held on March 21.
Amnesty International
22 March 2024

Justice News & PMARC
It is a crucial time and we need your support.

We are approaching you all after a long gap due to unfortunate situations before us which may compel us to temporarily suspend our intervention for a while.

We are facing acute crises for resources and suffering debt also.

Since 2007, we have successfully continued our interventions with the support and contribution of people committed to social justice and Democracy.

Justice News (justicenews.co.in) and Dalit Media Watch are our major interventions that played a major role and contributed to the issue of social justice and democracy.

Our interventions played a major role in sensitizing and making awareness to civil society, HR mechanisms, mainstream media, academics, and political parties. Due to our interventions thousands of victims got relief from different commissions, particularly from NHRC.

We are also playing a major role by coordinating and disseminating discussions and information on mainstream struggles.

It is a very tough time for all democratic and social justice forces. It is our collective responsibility to save and allow our intervention to continue.

Therefore, we appeal to you all to please consider some contributions that allow us to continue our interventions.

Your support will strengthen the process of social justice and democracy.
Our Bank details:
PEOPLES MEDIA ADVOCACY & RESOURCES CENTRE-PARC
Account No. 0302010179713
Punjab National Bank
IFSC code: PUNB0030220
Hazratgang, Lucknow, UP, India
Arun Khote
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)

Back to Home Page

Frontier
Vol 56, No. 42, Apr 14 - 20, 2024