Sitaram Yechury (2 August 1952 – 12 September 2024)
By PUCL NATIONAL
The PUCL expresses its deep sadness at the unfortunate demise of Com. Sitaram Yechury. Mr Yechury was the General Secretary of the CPI(M) and also a member of parliament from 2005-2017. He was friend of the civil liberties movement and often spoke up both in parliament and outside on behalf of civil liberties.
As recently as 29th June, 2024, the PUCL was in touch with Com. Sitaram Yechury, regarding the ongoing killings of Adivasis in Bastar by security forces. More than 200 people had been killed since the 1st of January, soon after the new Government took over. The team from Bastar and PUCL Chhattisgarh along with national PUCL members had met several MPs and Party leaders from the INDIA Alliance including from CPIM, CPI, INC, BAP and NCP (Pawar).
Com. Yechury was deeply sympathetic and was enthusiastic about the idea of having a Bastar Day in Delhi where hundreds of adivasis come and talk to all parties during the parliamentary session.
Mr. Yechury was a true friend of the civil liberties movement and would not oppose criticism made by the PUCL of the Kerala police and state, especially when the State came up in appeal against bail being granted to an UAPA accused.
There are many individual stories that PUCL members have regarding their association with Com. Yechury on CLDR ( Civil liberties and democratic rights) issues. One stands out. After Father Stan Swamy was arrested in 2020 September. PUCL facilitated an all party meeting cum press conference. In the press conference 8 political parties participated including a CM.
PUCL is of the belief that only an all India political movement with political parties at the helm will ensure the repeal of the UAPA, which is the most abused terror law. Like in the case of TADA when PUCL and other CLDR organizations brought all parties together and ensured the repeal, there is a need for a coming together against the UAPA.
We reproduce here the inspirational speech by Com. Yechury at an online PUCL press conference held to protest the illegal arrests in the Bhima Koregaon case on 21.10.2020. Com. Yechury in his inimitable style saw the fight against the UAPA as nothing less than a fight in defence of the Indian Constitution.
Fight against the UAPA is a fight for the constitution, Sitaram Yechury
Thank you PUCL for organizing this important press conference and to all my colleagues and all the other political parties present here and all the activists of the civil society movement. My thanks to all of you and it’s very good that all of us have come together on this very important issue.
There is no doubt that the U.A.P.A. has been grossly misused, continues to be grossly misused, and the arrest of father Stan along with Varavara Rao, both octogenarians, and the other 14 shows that. Except for a few of them, all of them are above 60 and more vulnerable to the covid virus. Even then there is absolutely no human approach by this government and the authorities and they continue to languish in prison.
There is no question therefore that the UAPA cannot exist in this form. I would appeal to all the political parties here and the civil society movement that you do not see this only as an isolated issue of one law. Yes, you have the UAPA., you have the NSA., you have the sedition law, all of which my party the CPI(M) has been saying is anachronistic and was part of the British rule. It should be removed from our statute books. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen. And now this government has appointed another committee to further strengthen who all can be covered under the sedition law.
You know the pointed issue in all these acts is, all these draconian laws, is that any dissent of the government is not tolerable for the government. Anybody who expresses dissent is anti-national. Now this is something that is an anathema to the democracy, to civil liberties, to human rights and therefore these laws should go. All of us and many of my colleagues present here from other political parties, worked together to repeal POTA
The new UAPA came after Bombay terror attack and then I remember in the parliament there was this big conflict between us and the then home minister Mr. Chidambaram, on the safeguards to be applied, so the law cant be misused. Some safeguards came, but we were not satisfied. But even those have been removed by this government. So, it’s not the question of amending the law anymore.
Like the P.O.T.A., this must go from the statute books. For that, my appeal to all the political parties is that this must go and whatever other measures are required in order to tackle terrorism, anti-national activities, those can be considered. But not these sorts of laws that can be grossly misused.
So, the NSA, UAPA must be removed from these statute books along with the sedition law. I would only like to make 2 other points. One, that this is not an isolated issue of misusing a law, this is part of a larger agenda. And the larger agenda is to pave the way for the establishment of a theocratic, rabidly intolerant, fascistic Hindutva Rashtra which has been their objective for the last one century or so. They failed when we got independence, Indian people in the freedom movement chose a secular, democratic, republic and enacted this constitution which we all accepted. And this constitution is a biggest hurdle for the establishment of a rabidly intolerant and theocratic fascistic Hindutva Rashtra and therefore this constitution has to go.
What we are seeing is the undermining of the constitution and the constitutional authorities. Right from the parliament, the judiciary, the election commission. The are using the CBI and ED as the political agents of the government. Now, all this is undermining the constitution in every sphere. So, this is a much larger struggle to safeguard the Indian Constitution, safeguard a secular, democratic Republic, and for that we need all of us to come together.
Remember, the Asian wisdom that is filtered down through the ages to our generation, that for evil to succeed, good only needs to be silent. We cannot remain silent today! We will have to protest because its not only the UAPA and the Bhima Koregaon case, you see what’s happened with the investigation going on in the Delhi communal violence. All the victims are being charged; they are being arrested. But the perpetrators are roaming around scot free. So, you have a law enforcement authority, starting from the highest level that is the Union Home Ministry that is shielding the culprits, who are destroying our constitution, mercilessly attacking human rights, civil liberties and democratic rights.
This is the issue for which the PUCL was born. Justice Tarkunde and others were involved and my party has been actively associated with it and we continue to remain connected. So, I think this is a joint battle for all of us to come together and seek the repeal of these laws. So, that’s all I would like to appeal to everybody here. Both in the parliament and outside. This misuse of the laws and these draconian provisions must go from the statute books. The misuse cannot be accepted. It has to be fought and resisted.
Yes, my generation fought the emergency, we were jailed. But we restored democracy. People restored democracy. People now have to restore, this secular, democratic Republic on its right and solid foundations. And that is, I think, the biggest battle for which all of us need to come together. So, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.
My appeal remains that we all have to join hands in the defence of our constitution, the defence of secular democracy in India, and the defence of elementary human rights and democratic rights and civil liberties.