Tamil Nadu - The Emergence of Police State and the Shrinking of Democratic Space!
Tags: Suppression of Dissent, Fundamental Rights, Police State, Draconian Laws, Freedom of Expression & Assembly, Transparency & Governance, RTI Violations, Nonviolent Resistance, Civil Rights Movement
Related Issue: Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression, Right to Assemble Peacefully, Right to Form Associations or Unions, Protection from Arbitrary Arrest and Detention, Right to Information
PUCL, Tamil Nadu calls for restoration of Democratic norms in governance and appeal to the people to raise their vigilance and resistance against the state repression
Tamil Nadu, has turned itself an epitome of denial of fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution. Ever since the historical Jallikattu struggle, which unleashed the democratic aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu, the ruling establishment in Tamil Nadu has been stifling each end every attempt by political and social groups who express their right to dissent. Such dissents are put down with iron hand, clamping inappropriate and draconian laws against the protestors. Thus denying the democratic aspirations of freedom to assemble and freedom of expression.
Advocate Murugan of People’s Rights Protection Committee, Valarmathi of Environmental Protection Collective, Thiru Murugan and his comrades of May 17 movement, Prof Jayaraman of Kathiramangalam struggle, Anti Nuke Advocate Semmani from Nellai, Cartoonist Bala, Environmental activist Mugilan, Arappor Iyakkam Nakeeran, the activists who sought due compensation for the victims of Collapse of Bus Stand roof at Somanur and scores of youngsters who fought against NEET were all incarcerated under notorious Goondas Act and such other draconian laws.
Permission to hold meetings, peaceful protests, processions and even distribution of handbills and pasting of posters are prima facie denied and the activists are arrested and remanded to custody, thus denying their fundamental rights to assemble and express, as guaranteed in the constitution. It is only a sign of emerging Police State in Tamil Nadu. It is also an undeclared emergency curtailing vital aspects of civil rights. When the access to the public domain to articulate one’s expression is denied, youngsters, justifiably, resort to the social media and other public spaces to ventilate their dissent. Even such attempts are strangulated by intimidation and coercion perpetrated by the State machinery.
It’s unfortunate that the present ruling establishment, in its anxiety to save themselves have lost its transparency and eschewed its commitments to govern democratically. The schism within the ruling establishment has paved the way for a Police State, undermining the rule of law and denying any space for dissent. Civil rights and social groups, who are critical of the ruling establishment, are denied permission to assemble and conduct meetings peacefully.
Right to Information (RTI), a tool achieved through protracted campaign for ensuring transparency in governance is waning, mainly owing to non compliance of the mandatory voluntary disclosures and delaying and thus denying the information the public have sought for, on time. The large number of appeals pending with the respective State Commissioners manifests the indifference of the Officials concerned, thus sabotaging the spirit of transparency.
This is unbecoming of democratic governance. It is imperative that those responsible for denying what is enshrined in the constitution and law ought to be punished. Be it Police officials or other government officials, including the Head of the District Administration for not adhering to the rule of law and for not observing the democratic governance in letter and spirit.
Hence it is exigent that the present ruling establishment should come to its senses and stop aping the Centre and render transparent and ethically Democratic governance respecting the Democratic aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu.
When the ruling establishment is not asserting for its federal rights and has earned the notoriety of playing the second fiddle to BJP, supporting the canards of Communal fascism, and is itself plunged into the quagmire of corruption, inefficiency and nepotism and impose the so-called projects, which are detrimental to the interest of the people and their sustained livelihood, it is the duty of the people to resist such anti people measures.
Thus the right to defend the hard earned freedom, democratic rights and social justice is bestowed on the people and the movements concerned, when the ruling establishment fails, miserably.
At this juncture, PUCL demands the TN government to immediately with draw all the cases fabricated against the persons who took part in the Jallikaatu, Neduvasal, Kathiramangalam, Koodangulam, NEET and other protest programmes.
PUCL is taking efforts to form a federation of all the democratic organizations in Tamilnadu at the state level to fight against the all anti democratic suppressive measures of the Government.
Hence PUCL, appeals to the people of Tamil Nadu to keep their vigil and guard our freedom and challenge the threat of the shrinking democratic space by launching the non violent struggles.
Gana Kurinji, President, Prof. R. Murali, Secretary