PUCL urges Government to stop harassment of Human Rights activists
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Mysuru: People’s Union for Civil Rights (PUCL) Mysore, on Tuesday issued an open appeal to the Prime Minister to stop harassing Human Rights Defenders; halt the relentless spewing of hate, including those by some members of the judiciary; and initiate an urgent Dialogue to address the Human Rights Crisis in India that has also drawn international criticism.
In a statement issued on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, PUCL Mysore expressed concern over the seemingly targeted attacks of journalists and human rights activists, especially those hailing from the minority Muslim community, and those others taking up cudgels against the fast-paced hate politics in the country.
PUCL Mysore condemned the arrest and harassment of Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for his work on debunking misinformation with his fact-checking abilities; human rights activist and National Secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Nadeem Khan; and Abha Shukla, the Joint Secretary of APCR UP, who is the petitioner in the case filed before the Allahabad High Court regarding death of protesters in police action in Sambhal. They have been targeted by the UP Police and Delhi Police, respectively.
PUCL Mysore appealed to the Prime Minister to take appropriate action and ensure that Human Rights Defenders like Nadeem Khan, Mohammed Zubair and Abha Shukla are not harassed by the law enforcement agencies.
Urging the prime minister to initiate a judicial enquiry and appropriate action against Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court, PUCL Mysore averred the Judge had violated the code of conduct for judges through his widely reported comments and slurs against the Muslim community.
PUCL Mysore lamented that increasing hate speech and hate crimes in our country were having a debilitating impact on our constitutional values and our fundamental rights.
Condolences:
PUCL Mysore condoled the passing of Prof V K Natraj (85), former director of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Mysore, on Monday.
In his passing, the statement said, we had lost an erudite social activist, who had specialized in development economics and was a votary of decentralisation, said Kamal Gopinath, President, PUCL, Mysore and V Purushottam, General Secretary, PUCL Mysore.
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