PUCL Statement Concerning the Attack on Human Rights Activist and Writer, Seema Azad, PUCL National Secretary
Tags: Defamation, Human Rights Work
A 6-page statement was issued on 26th June, 2026, allegedly by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – North Coordination Committee (NCC), claiming that Seema Azad was a State Secretary of the party and because of her “revisionist” practices, associating with a CIA agent in India, and due to her ‘prioritizing bourgeoise feminism over Marxism’ she was being expelled from the primary membership of the party. The note was read out on a news podcast called “Bastar Talkies.”
Seema Azad is a well-known human rights activist and feminist, active for more than 2 decades, in Uttar Pradesh and across India. She has done her Master’s in psychology and LLB. She has been running a bi-monthly Hindi magazine called Dastak since 2004. She has worked as a journalist and has written 3 books. Her poems have been published in a number of magazines. She joined PUCL in 2006 and held the post of Organizational Secretary of UP PUCL since 2008. Thereafter she was elected as the President of UP State PUCL. Seema Azad was elected at the National Level first as the National Organising Secretary and subsequently as National Secretary of PUCL, in which position she has been functioning for several years. She was falsely charged by the UP Police with being a member of Maoist organization in 2010 and convicted in 2012. Her appeal is pending in the Allahabad High Court; it appears that the allegations against her are so flimsy that after conviction she has been granted bail by the High Court. Her prison memoirs in the form of 2 books include ‘Zinda Nama: Chand Taron ke Begair Ek Duniya’ and ‘Aurat ka Safar: Jail se Jail Tak’, in Hindi; the first Hindi book has been translated and published in English as ‘Unsilenced: Jail Diary of an Activist’. These have been widely read, appreciated and recognised as a major contribution to the prison writing genre of writing.
Seema has always categorically denied, ever being a member of or directly or indirectly being part of the CPI – Maoist party, let alone its state secretary. She has also given to us in writing now, specifically denying ever having been a member of the CPI Maoist party or in any way being associated with the said party too. Thus, the question of expelling her from the above-referred political party does not even arise.
We at PUCL stand by Seema.
It is not clear as to who has issued this statement. Whilst supposedly the letterhead is of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – North Coordination Committee (NCC), there is a strong possibility that this letter is fabricated by some State agency which is trying to implicate her and frame her in some false case. It is all the more curious since the letter has not been sent to her but to a news portal. Even if by some chance it has been sent by the said political party, we do not subscribe to their false and distorted projection of her activities. Seema confirms that the allegations against her in the statement are wholly false and entirely imaginary, is defamatory and has no factual foundation.
On behalf of the PUCL National Executive Committee, we strongly condemn this wilfully mischievous misrepresentation of Seema’s work and the allegations levelled against her and stand in solidarity with her. We at PUCL stand by our members doing public and transparent human rights work which is based on a belief in the progressive values of the Indian Constitution. To us, to do human rights works in a public, transparent and constitutional manner, however unacceptable it may be to the state, is nothing other than an exercise of the constitutional freedoms of speech, assembly and association which is guaranteed to every Indian citizen.
However this avowed commitment to the Constitution and its values has not stopped the State agencies from falsely implicating our members including Binayak Sen, Sudha Bhardwaj, TG Ajay, Fr. Stan Swamy and Seema Azad for the mere exercise of constitutionally guaranteed rights. All along, even as they worked to hold state agencies to account for their lawlessness, they have always pursued the peaceful, legal path, eschewing violence, remaining committed to non-violent means of resolving issues and asserting the primacy of constitutional and human rights principles. We stood by them in the past and we continue to stand by them as exemplars in the courageous defence of the values of the Indian Constitution.
This statement is being released with the endorsement of and on behalf of the National Executive Committee of PUCL
Text of Letter addressed to the President and General Secretary, PUCL, by Seema Azad, in response to the Statement dated 26.6.2026.
न ांक: 7 जुल ई, 2026
प्रिि,
कििि श्रीि स्िि, र ष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष, पीयूसीएल
िी सुरेश, र ष्ट्रीय मह सििि, पीयूसीएल
विषय : मेरे ििल फ िल ए ज रहे “ििि हांि ांग” अििय न के सांदिभ में
मैं, सीम आज द, र ष्ट्रीय सििि पीयूसीएल, पीयूसीएल को यह औपि ररक रूप से सूििि करन ि हिी ह ां िक मुझे 30 जून की र ि में एक पन्ने क एक प्रेस ररलीज सोशल मीििय पर घूमि हुआ िमल , जो मेरे और मेरे प भनर ििश्वििजय के ििल फ ढेरों झूठी ब िों से िर हुआ थ । यह पत्र ‘सीपीआई म ओि दी एनसीसी’ की ओर से िेज गय है, िजसमें हमें गदद र बोलने के स थ ढेरों आरोप लग ए गए । (पत्र सांलग्न).
जब यह पत्र कई लोगों की ओर से ििांि के स थ हम रे प स िेज ज ने लग , िो हमने इसक जि ब सोशल मीििय पर यह बि िे हुए िदय िक हम र इससे कोई सांबांध नहीं है। (फेसबुक िलांक सांलग्न है) मैंने आप दोनों को 1 जुल ई को इसके ब रे में फोन पर सूिन दे दी थी।
इसके ब द 2 जुल ई को यू ्यूब िैनल “बस्िर ॉकीज” पर किथि रूप से इसी प ी की ओर से ज री 6 पन्ने क पत्र पढ गय , िजसमें और िी आपििजनक आरोप हम रे ऊपर लग ए गए। इसमें कह गय िक हम उनकी प ी के सदस्य हैं (जह ां से हमें अब िनक ल ज रह है। इसमें िो यह ां िक कह िदय गय िक हम CPI म ओि दी NCC की स् े कमे ी सदस्य रहे हैं। (िैनल क िलांक सांलग्न है).
4 जुल ई को पांज ब के म नि िधक र क यभकि भ अररहांि कुम र मलेरी जी ने हम र समथभन करिे हुए एक पत्र हम रे प स व्यििगि रूप से िी िेज , और अपने स थी करम बर सि के स थ फेसबुक पर िी लग य (फेसबुक िलांक सांलग्न है).
इसके ब द 6 ि रीि को िगि िसांह स् ूिें मोि भ के फेसबुक पेज से ठीक इसी िरह क पत्र ज री िकय , जैस िक सीपीई म ओि दी NCC की ओर से ज री िकय गय और इसे बहुि स रे लोगों के प स व्यििगि रूप से व्ह ्सएप पर िेज गय , िजसमें देश िर के बुििजीिियों से यह अपील की गई िक िो हम र बिहष्ट्क र करें। (िलांक सांलग्न है).
इसके िुरांि ब द पीयूसीएल उिर प्रदेश के पूिभ सििि कमल िसांह ने सोशल मीििय ग्रुप और व्यििगि व्ह ्सएप्प के म ध्यम से मेरे ििल फ लोगों को उकस न शुरू कर िदय । (उनके सांदेश सांलग्न हैं).
इन स रे िथ्यों को आपके स मने रिने के ब द मैं अपने ब रे में आप लोगों के स मने अपनी ब ि रिन ि हिी ह ां, क्योंिक मैं पीयूसीएल के र ष्ट्रीय सििि लय क िहस्स ह ां, और मेरे म ध्यम से ये हमल पीयूसीएल पर िी िकय ज रह है, इसिलए ये मेरी िजम्मेद री है।
मैं स्प िौर पर कहन ि हिी ह ां िक मैं (सीम आज द) किी िी म ओि दी प ी य उसके िकसी िी फेक्शन य िकसी िी र जनीििक दल की सदस्य नहीं रही, न ही ह ां।
मे रे ििल फ दुष्ट्प्रि र अििय न में लगे CPI म ओि दी NCC से मेर िकसी िी िरह क कोई सांबांध नहीं है और न ही मैं इन्हें ज निी ह ां।
ह ां, मैं िगि िसांह स् ूिें मोि भ को ज निी ह ां, जो िक उिर प्रदेश में बन रस के BHU में क म करने ि ल छ त्र सांगठन है
मुझे नहीं पि िक अि नक मुझ पर इस िरह क हमल करने ि ले ये कौन लोग हैं और इनक मकसद क्य है। मैं पीयूसीएल के स थ 2006 से ह ां।
मैं “दस्िक नए समय की” न म से एक दुिैम िसक पित्रक िनक लिी ह ां, िजसकी प्रक शक, सांप दक में िुद ह ां।
मैं जो ह ां, और जो क म करिी ह ां, िो सबके स मने है। अब िक के इनके दुष्ट्प्रि र अििय न से ये ही समझ में आ रह है िक यह अििय न म नि िधक र किमभयों की “ब् ांििांग करके उन्हें र जकीय दमन के िशकांजे की ओर धकेलन है, उनकी प्रििष्ट पर कीिड़ उछ लन है, ि िक उन्हें पूरे सम ज से अलग थलग िकय ज सके। िपछले कई स लों से इसी क म में सरक रें लगी हुई हैं, िजसकी यह एक और कड़ी है।
पीयूसीएल के स मने अपनी िस्थिि स्प करिे हुए मैं यह आग्रह करिी ह ां िक मेरे और पीयूसीएल के ििल फ िल ए ज रहे इस अििय न के ि़िल फ उििि क यभि ही की ज ए।
शुििय
आदर के स थ
सीम आज द
English translation
I, Seema Azad, National Secretary PUCL, would like to officially inform PUCL that on the night of June 30th a press release was circulated on social media which also caught my eye where several false allegations were raised against me and my partner Vishwavijay. This was apparently released by ‘CPI Maoist NCC’ where they have termed us as traitors and several other allegations have also been made. (letter attached).
When this letter reached us through several well-wishers as they were worried about the situation and it was then when we posted on social media that we have nothing to do with this organisation. (Facebook link attached) I then informed both of you on a call on 1st of July.
On 2nd July the host of Bastar Talkies YouTube channel also read the 6-page letter where they repeated some more objectionable allegations. In the video they said that we have been members of the party (from where they’re expelling us) and even went on to say that we have been the state committee members of CPI Maoist NCC. (channel link attached).
On 4th July, human rights activist from Punjab, Arihant Kumar Maleri sent a letter to us personally showing his support and even posted it on Facebook with his friend Karam Barasat. (Facebook link attached).
After two days on the 6th, Bhagat Singh Students’ Morcha also released the same letter that was earlier released by CPI Maoist NCC and was again circulated personally to a lot of intellectuals appealing that they boycott us. (link attached).
Immediately after this, former General Secretary of PUCL Uttar Pradesh, Kamal Singh started to instigate people against me on social media groups and personally messaging them. (his messages are attached below).
After putting forth all the facts that I have with me I want to present my own viewpoint regarding the entire incident since I am a part of PUCL’s national executive and through this I believe even PUCL is being targeted and hence it is my responsibility to clear the air.
I want to be absolutely clear in saying that I, Seema Azad, was never a part of the Maoist party nor any of its factions nor of any other political party. I was never a member, nor am I now.
CPI Maoist NCC who has indulged in such kind of malicious targeting against me has no connection with me whatsoever and neither do I know them.
Yes, I know Bhagat Singh Student Morcha as a student group based in Banaras Hindu University in Banaras.
I don’t know who these people are who are suddenly targeting me and their exact intentions behind that. I have been with PUCL since 2006.
I am the editor and publisher of the bimonthly magazine called “Dastak Naye Samay Ki”. Whatever I do, whatever work I have done is in front of everyone to see and judge. What I have understood from this malicious campaign is that they want to “brand” human rights activists in a way that they are forced to face state oppression and if they’re able to spoil the public image of the concerned person, they won’t have any support whatsoever. Since the last few years, the government has been trying to do this and this entire incident seems to be a continuation of that.
I’m presenting all the facts from my end and requesting appropriate action against this malicious campaign that is being organised against me and PUCL.
07.07.2026
Seema Azad