People's Voice condemns the arbitary arrests and harassment of two leading human rights activists of Chattisgarh, Shri Rajender Sail ( President) and Dr Binayak Sen (General Secretary) of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (Chattisgarh).

These two veteran activists have been in the forefront of defending the rights of workers, peasants, women and tribal peoples, from the onslaught of the state. They were in the forefront of the struggle to punish those guilty of the murder of the late leader of the Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Shanker Guha Niyogi. In the past two years, ever since the Chattisgarh government set up the Salva Judum to divide the tribal population in Bastar and unleashed savage repression on the people in the name of crushing Nazalites, these two rights activists have been actively fighting for the rights of the affected people.

Following the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen on May 15, 2007, there have been massive protests by rights activists all over the country, demanding his release, as well as the Repeal of the fascist Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act which enables the state to arrest and torture at will anyone it accuses of being a “naxalite sympathiser.” Leading journalists, rights activists, lawyers, eminent members of the medical fraternity, are among those who have appealed to the Chattisgarh government for the release of Dr. Sen. However, the response of the Chattisgarh government has been extremely arrogant, and it has stepped up its attacks. The charges against Dr Sen have been upgraded by adding the charge of Sedition and Waging War against the state to the FIR, while in detention. And to thwart the protests in Raipur and all over the country, the Chattisgarh police has arrested Rajender Sail, President of PUCL, under an old case of contempt of court, on May 24, 2007!

These developments in Chattisgarh are part of the overall fascist onslaught of the ruling class on the toiling people all over the country. This onslaught is being carried out through draconian laws, and through open state repression, as well as state sponsored vigilante groups in many regions of the country. The ruling class wants to terrorise the rights activists into giving up their defence of human rights. The situation demands that all those fighting in defence of human rights step up the struggle for the repeal of all fascist laws, and fight for the release of all activists detained under these laws.