Report of the Press Conference of CASR
We hereby share a report that we have received from the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR).
Campaign Against State Repression organised a press conference on the 3rd of January 2025 at Press Club of India, New Delhi against the witch-hunt of activists under FIR No. RC-01/2023/NIA/LUCKNOW popularly known as the Lucknow Conspiracy Case.
Deepak Kumar, a representative of CASR, moderated the event. He highlighted how the case has been on-going since 5th of September 2023, first targeting activists in UP. Since then, the extent and scope of the raids have increased to include over 5 states, targeting students, advocates, labour rights activists and journalists. He highlighted how in the previous cases of Adv Ajay Kumar and labour rights activist Anirudh Ranjan, both the activists have not been charged and since they are unable to do so, they have targeted activists in Delhi to keep the case going. The “evidence” seized is so flimsy that have to include into their memo publicly available books and pamphlets, or loose papers. He asserted that this is the NIA’s method to make a conspiracy so that they can create a second Bhima Koregaon case.
Mrigank is the spokesperson for the Delhi Committee of CPI (ML) New Democracy. He raised serious concerns over the growing repression of democratic rights in the country. Addressing the media, he criticized the government’s deliberate creation of a climate of fear aimed at stifling dissent and silencing opposition to state policies. He outlined how laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are weaponized to target activists, dissenters, and marginalized communities. Mrigank emphasized that these tactics, including red-tagging and prolonged legal harassment, treat individuals as guilty until proven innocent, contradicting natural justice principles. The denial of bail and delays in filing formal charges, he argued, make the judicial process itself a form of punishment. Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on making India “Maoist-free” by 2026, Mrigank warned that such rhetoric often serves as a pretext to label Adivasis and dissenters as Naxals. This, he claimed, facilitates the exploitation of tribal lands by foreign mining corporations, displacing communities and devastating their livelihoods. Mrigank stated that as long as systemic issues such as poverty, unemployment, and caste and gender-based oppression persist, resistance is inevitable. He called for the expansion of grassroots movements to address these concerns directly and urged collective action against rising fascist tendencies. The success of the Farmers’ Protest, he said, exemplifies the power of organized resistance. He also highlighted the necessity of fighting for democratic and legal rights within the existing system, stressing that such efforts are essential to counter the ongoing erosion of civil liberties. Mrigank concluded with a call for unity in building a strong movement to defend the rights of the people.
Safoora Zargar is an activist and human rights defender who was previously targeted in the Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case. She talked about how there has been an increasing number of conspiracy cases. She says, “Conspiracy cases are a limitless, boundary-less blackhole which has no regard for rule of law and due process of law. Everything is bypassed without any accountability – especially for women.” She talked about how UAPA and NIA are used to bypass laws so that they can be labeled as “Maoists” “urban Naxals” “terrorists” and used to target Adivasis, Muslims and dissenters and criticisers of the government, highlighting how the state is targeting minorities like Dalits, Christians, Muslims, women. Any dissent is criminalised. She highlighted the problem in delaying and manipulating the process so that justice can be delayed for as long as possible. Political prisoners are tagged by red-tagging, pointing out how a lot of people arrested in the BK-16 conspiracy case were those people who were advocating for the release of G.N. Saibaba. She said that this process violates the international treaties and rights of prisoners. The movement should not only include fighting for Adivasis, women, Muslims but also those people who are fighting for the rights of minorities. She says that the state is digging its own grave by exposing itself through the conspiracy cases. Till that movement, we cannot stop fighting for these people who are being jailed, cannot stop fighting for the cause and must continue without fear because the state is bound to expose itself.
Dhananjay is the president of JNUSU and a student activist. He highlighted how there has been a history of constant harassment of activists through raids and interrogations. This is true for anyone who speaks against the government and their policies; while politicians like Soren are targeted through PMLA [Editor’s note: Prevention of Money Laundering Act] and ED [Editor’s note: Enforcement Directorate, a repressive force linked to economic intelligence], for political activists and kisan [Editor’s note: organized peasants] it is UAPA and NIA which is a tool of state repression. Different sections of people are differently labeled in order to suppress their voice- while students are labeled as urban Naxals, Adivasis as Maoists, Muslims as terrorists and kisans as khalistani. Dhananjay also criticized Prime Minister Modi’s portrayal of India as the “Mother of Democracy,” calling it a facade. He argued that anyone who challenges the government’s policies or demands inclusivity is labeled anti-national, repressed, and jailed. He further questioned the sustainability of democracy when the very people who fuel it – exploited and oppressed communities, including Adivasis – are incarcerated. Dhananjay stressed the need for collective resistance and urged for a united fight to protect democratic values.
Asif Iqbal Tahna is a human rights defender and a victim of the Delhi Riots Conspiracy Case. He talks about how there is a need to not only change the government but reform the whole system and it is a long fight. He talks about how to bring this change, one will have to struggle and one will have to struggle strongly, resolutely and without fear. In the Delhi Riots case and this case, the purpose of the NIA is to scare people into turning away from activism – from one family, to community, to one village, they raid to send a message. This message serves as a threat to raid anywhere and to create an atmosphere of terror. The system itself is giving the opportunity to bring into discourse Maoism and the politics of ISIS by labeling people. He talks about revolutionary hope and inspiration – all those who struggle will never be alone as people will continue to fight for a better future and inspire others to do the same, and that is the message we should reply to the NIA and the state with.
Hem Mishra is an activist who was released after a wrongful incarceration in an anda-cell for around 10 years along with G.N. Saibaba. All those who are are speaking against exploitation and oppression, including those students, kisan, majdoors [Editor’s note: unionized workers], lawyers, who are using their democratic voices to raise issues, are being targeted. He talks about how despite being outside of jail, the current political and atmosphere in the outside world is “like a larger prison”. The state is saying this is the Lucknow Conspiracy Case but it is spread across different areas. There is a trend of the state targeting people who take up the case of political prisoners and are speaking for Adivasi rights. This is the assault of Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism on the people, against Urban Naxals who are “people who speak against Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism, who speak for the rights of Adivasis’ jal-jangal-jameen i.e. they could be anyone”. This is a ridiculous justification of the state that the banned CPI (Maoist) is trying to revive itself through students and lawyers, but is a justification to in fact hide the fact that this is the state’s attempt to criminalise the ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. This is the fight for a dream of an equal, just and new democracy is possible when the exploited and oppressed people join together. This is Sai’s ideology as well, this fight for jal-jangal-jameen, for which he was martyred. The people will continue to fight, as long as these conditions continue to exist.
