Apart from protests in Kolkata, Delhi, various cities in South India and Jharkhand, various organization’s and prominent personalities in Assam as well as other parts of the country have raised their voices demanding the release of the Teesta Setalvad.
Even the United Nations has been seen criticizing the arrest of Teesta . “Protecting human rights can never be a crime,” said one United Nations official.
Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the Gujarat carnage, approached the Supreme Court against the a clean chit given to the then Chief Minister of Gujarat and current Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Teesta Setalvad was another petitioner of the PIL.
An interview of The Home Minister had come out after the PIL was dismissed by the Supreme Court after two decades, soon after that the ATS of the Gujarat Police took Teesta Setalvad from her house in Mumbai to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. At the same time, former DGP of Gujrat RB Srikumar was also arrested.
The news of this same case has been spread all over India even in abroad.
It is to be mentioned that the CJP, an organization of Teesta Setalvad, has been working on the citizenship issue of Assam since the last few years. Apart from assisting people fill out applications during the NRC, they have also helped in the release of more than 50 people from detention camps, legal aid to the people who got suspected foreigners notice from tribunal, helping the D voters and so on. The CJP, an organization of Teesta Setalvad, is one of the hope for the marginalized and helpless people in the villages of different districts of Assam who are suffering from citizenship problems.
In Assam, various prominent groups and individuals have been vocal in demanding the release of the prominent human rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
Dr. Hiren Gohain, a prominent intellectual from Assam, Dr. Amal Kanti Laha, retired HOD of Bangla department of Pandu College Guwahati, Har Kumar Goswami, a prominent social activist, and Debojit Chowdhury, a labor union leader, have strongly condemned her arrest and demanded her release.
Dr. Hiren Gohain, a powerful voice of Assam, an intellectual and a prominent sociol scientist, has come forward in support of Teesta Setalvad. He and Deben Tamuli have recently issued a statement on behalf of the Anti Citizens Amendment Act Coordination Committee. In the statement, they wrote that they were shocked and disturbed by the vindictive strick of the Gujrat Police and the ATS.
The statement says, “It may be recalled at this juncture that at the time of the publication of the SIT report itself there had been many critical and dissenting views of seasoned journalists,serious rights activists and some respected prominent public personalities questioning the alleged shortcomings of that report. There had also been serious circumstantial evidence that there might have been a larger conspiracy at the background of those terrible events. Hence Teesta Setalvad,who has a proven record of long, devoted and distinguished work in upholding human rights and securing justice for victims of riots and communal violence,for which she was honoured with a ‘Padmashree’,does not appear to deserve such an ascription,far less arrest and detention under various sections of the IPC.”
They also demanded to restore her human dignity, “We demand her immediate release and restoration of her civil rights and human dignity.”
Assam’s Forum for Social Harmony, Asom Majori Sramik Union, Prayas-Oikatan Cultural Group, CJP Assam Chapter jointly demanded the release of Teesta Setalvad.
The chief convener of the Forum for Social Harmony told “The arrest of the prominent human rights activist Teesta Setalvad is unacceptable. It’s an attempt to shut her voice. We demand her immediate release.”
On behalf of the Assam Chapter of the CJP, Nanda Ghosh said, “Teesta Setalvad is fighting for the oppressed people for a long time. She is a symbol of courage. We demand her release for the protection of humanity.”
The original piece may be read here