India – RSF: We Cannot Allow the Republic to Kill its Own Children
We hereby share a joint statement published by the Revolutionary Student Front (RSF) on their Facebook page on November 7.
INTERNATIONAL JOINT STATEMENT
“WE CANNOT ALLOW THE REPUBLIC TO KILL ITS OWN CHILDREN”
REVOKE THE DEATH SENTENCES OF THE JHIRAM GHATI 10
REVOKE THE LIFE IMPRISONMENT SENTENCES OF THE SILDA 23
FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS
We strongly oppose the death sentences imposed on ten Maoists and Adivasi individuals in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack case by the Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. Thirteen years after the incident, the court sentenced Pramila Modiyam, Sumitra Punem, Kosa Kawasi, Mukka Mandavi, Markami Deva, Aita Markam, Banjami Sanna, Chaitu Lekam, Joga Markami, and Mahadev Naga to death. We also strongly oppose the life imprisonment sentences imposed on the 23 accused in the Silda case in West Bengal, concerning the 2010 attack on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp. The prolonged incarceration and severe sentences imposed in both cases raise serious questions concerning due process, proportionality in punishment, the treatment of political prisoners, and the right to a fair judicial process.
We demand the immediate revocation of the death sentences imposed on the ten accused in the Jhiram Ghati case. We further demand the revocation of the life imprisonment sentences imposed on the 23 accused in the Silda case and the release of all political prisoners. Our position is grounded in the defence of the right to life, constitutional safeguards, and the democratic principle that justice must not become an instrument of state vengeance. Any examination of the Jhiram Ghati attack must consider the broader political circumstances that led to it. Launched in 2005 under the pretext of fighting Maoist insurgency, Salwa Judum was marked by widespread violence, displacement, and the destruction of Adivasi villages and livelihoods. Although the Supreme Court directed the state in 2011 to cease supporting armed civilian groups involved in Salwa Judum, the absorption of Salwa Judum personnel into the District Reserve Guards, along with similar projects implemented subsequently, such as
Operation Green Hunt, SAMADHAN-Prahaar, and Operation Kagar, raises serious concerns regarding state accountability and the continuation of military repression against the Adivasi people. Decades of undemocratic land grabs, restrictions on forest access, and extractive development backed by the state have further dispossessed Adivasi communities. The state cannot be absolved of its obligation to ensure fair trials and protect the fundamental rights of every accused person in the Jhiram Ghati case.
Therefore, we demand the immediate suspension of all execution proceedings against the ten individuals in the Jhiram Ghati case. The death sentences, imposed after thirteen years of incarceration and prolonged judicial proceedings, raise serious concerns about the administration of justice, particularly given that one accused had died during the trial and that families and civil liberties organizations have raised serious questions regarding false implication and inadequate evidence against the accused. These concerns require a transparent and independent judicial inquiry.
On 15 February 2010, an armed Maoist attack on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in Silda, West Bengal, resulted in the deaths of several security personnel. In 2024, the court convicted the 23 accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The accused have already spent years behind bars. Serious questions concerning the lack of evidence against them, identification procedures, and prolonged incarceration demand a thorough judicial review of their convictions and the revocation of their life imprisonment sentences. The life imprisonment sentences in the Silda case are part of a much wider pattern of prolonged incarceration used against political activists and dissenters in India. Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, among many others, have spent years in prison without the conclusion of their trials. The cases of Father Stan Swamy and Pandu Narote, who died in judicial custody, and G.N. Saibaba, who died shortly after his release following years of incarceration, demonstrate the devastating human consequences of such inhuman and undemocratic imprisonment. These cases expose a justice system in which the process itself becomes punishment, particularly for political prisoners. We therefore demand the immediate release of the 23 accused in the Silda case and all political prisoners. A state claiming to be the world’s largest democracy cannot answer political dissent with indefinite imprisonment.
THE REPUBLIC CANNOT KILL ITS CHILDREN : The Supreme Court’s observation, “We cannot allow the Republic to kill its own children,” made in 2011 in the context of the extrajudicial and undemocratic killings of CPI(Maoist) leader Azad and journalist Hemchandra Pandey, expresses a fundamental principle of constitutional democracy, that the state must protect human dignity and the right to life. The death penalty is irreversible and leaves no possibility of correcting a wrongful conviction. At the same time, structural inequalities and unequal access to legal representation can significantly affect the outcome of such cases. Project 39A’s Death Penalty India Report has documented the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of people sentenced to death in India, highlighting how poverty and social marginalisation restrict access to justice. The right to life and other fundamental rights cannot be defended selectively. A democratic justice system must therefore be grounded not only in legality but also in fairness, human dignity, and the fundamental right to life.
We therefore oppose capital punishment in India and across the world and demand concrete steps towards its abolition.
OUR DEMANDS —
We demand that the Government of India, the concerned state governments, and the judiciary:
1. Immediately revoke the death sentences of the ten individuals in the Jhiram Ghati case.
2. Revoke the life imprisonment sentences imposed on the 23 accused in the Silda case.
3. Ensure fair trials, effective legal representation, and access to all avenues of appeal.
4. Free all political prisoners.
5. Investigate claims of false implication and take into consideration the lack of evidence against the accused.
6. Investigate state-sponsored violence against Adivasis, including the genocidal projects of Salwa Judum, Operation Green Hunt, SAMADHAN-Prahaar, and Operation Kagar, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
7. Take concrete steps towards the abolition of the death penalty.
Signatories —
Indian Organisations
1. Revolutionary Student’s Front, West Bengal
2. Veekshanam, Telangana
3. Samajika Telangana Front, Telangana
4. Forum Against Repression, Telangana
5. Civil Liberties Committee, Telangana
6. Forum Against Repression, Telengana
7. Virasam, Telangana
8. Democratic Front Against Operation Greenhunt, Punjab
9. Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab
10. AFDR, Punjab
11. AIPWA, Mysore
12. Bhagat Singh Political Forum, Kerala
13. Brahminical Hindutva Fascist Viruddha Munnani, Kerala
14. Porattom, Kerala
25. Chrouse Magazine, Kerala
16. Justice for Prisoner’s, Kerala
17. Mulnivasi Sahitya Akhada, Odisha
18. Anti-Jindal and Anti POSCO Movement, QOdisha
19. Indigenous People’s Land Life and Knowledge Collective, Odisha
20. Centre for Protection of Prisoner’s Rights, Tamil Nadu
21. All India SC & ST Railway Employees Association, Maharashtra
22. Justice News, Uttar Pradesh
23. Agragami Chhatra Naujwaan Sabha, Uttarakhand
24. Anantha Hakkula Porata Sangam
25. DYFI
26 Progressive Student’s Union
27. Association for Democratic Rights
28. AISF
29. Women’s Uprising Movement
30. Amarula Bandumithrula Sangam
31. All India SC & ST Railway Employees Association
32. Communist Propaganda Forum
33. Desh Bhagat Yadgaar longowal
34. Indigenous Women India Network
35. Adivasi Advocate Association
36. PYM
37. Justice for Prisoner’s
38. All India SC & ST Railway Employees Association
39. Samadhan Feel and Heal
40. Samajwadi Lok Manch
41. DYSA
42. CPCL
43. Jaati Unmulan Manch
44. Janakiya Manushyavakasha Prasthanam
45. Indus News TV
46. Committee for Release of Political Prisoners
International Organisations
1 Revolutionary Student Youth Movement, Bangladesh
2. Shaheed Biplobi o Deshpremik Smriti Sangsad
3. Revolutionary Worker’s Movement, Bangladesh
4, Khonon Potrika, Bangladesh
5; Ghas Phul Nadi, Bangladesh
6. Chatra Gonomancha, Bangladesh
7. Committee Against the Genocide of Maoists and Adivasis in India, Bangladesh
8. All Nepal Student’s Union, Nepal
9. Inquilabi, Netherlands
10. SATH-CSIDC, Pakistan
11. Bergen4Palestine, Norway
12. Federasyon of Workers from Turkey, Switzerland
13. Partizan, Turkiye
14. Yeni Demokrasi Gazetesi, Tlrkiye
15. New Democratic Woman, Tiirkiye
16. New Democratic Youth, Turkiye
17. Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Publishing House, Turkiye
18. ABFSU, Burma
19. Revista Revolugéo Cultural, Brasil
20. Secours Rouge Belgique, Belgium
21. Federation of Workers and Youth
from Turkiye, Austria
22. Secours Rouge Toulouse, France
23. Les Feux du People, France
24. European Association of Migrant Workers, Germany
25. Japan Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines, Japan
26. Front Mahasiswa Nasional, Indonesia
27. India Labour Solidarity, Britain
28. Red Flag News Editorial, Britain
29. Nijjor Manush, Britain
30. Joint Committee to Stop Repression in India, Britain
31. CGU Leeds, Britain
32. Union of Cypriots, United Kingdom
33. Progressive South Asian Society, England
34. Resist US Led War Movement, USA
35. Anti Imperialist Front, USA
36. Maoist Labour Group of Austin, USA
37. Revolutionary Front, USA
38. Serve the People Press, USA
39. Purple Red Collective, Europe
40. Radical Desi, Canada
Individuals
1. K. Murali, India
2. N. Venugopal, India
3. B. Anuradha, India
4. Manish Azad, India
5. Narla Ravi, India
6. Bela Bhatia, India
7. Sudhir Dhawale, India
8. Hiiseyin Dogru, Germany
9. Felix, United Kingdom
10. Adolfo Naya Fernandez, Galiza
11. Amita Sheereen, India
12. Lenin Kumar, India
13. Anil Mishra, India
14. Sagar, India
15. Sharmina, India
16. KB Kanmapilly, India
17. Nanhe Lal, India
18. Doggala Rajukumar, India
19. Vijay Kumar, India
20. Kalyan Ray, India
21. Navsharan Singh, India
22. Vishal Chandra, India
23. Uday Che, India
24. Padma Kondiparthi, India
25. Mahendra Mishra, India
26. Upendra A, India
27. Aravind, India
28. Jeevananth, India
29. MV Ramana, India
30. Dobar Kun, India
31. Pankaj Kalita, India
32. Harcharan Singh Chahal, India
33. Ritu Nautiyal, India
34. Raghavendra Nyshadhar, India
35. Mandeep Singh, India
36. Kanupriya, India
37. Dharmesh Chaubey, India
38. Rajesh Kapro, India
39. Vikram, India
40. Amita Neerav, India
41. Kaushal Kumar, India
42. Sanjay Kumar, India
43. Anoop Kumar, India
44. Aditya Kumar, India
45. Sandeep Kumar, India
46. Harigaran, India
47. L Palani Prabagar, India
48. Mohammed Ansar Raza, India
49. Sana Sayed, India
50. Monika, India
51. Nautilus, India
52. Garima, India
53. Braj Bhushan Shukla, India
54. Gautam Goswami
55. Utpala Shukla, India
56. Dinesh, India
57. Shabas Ahammed, India
58. Nahas Rahman CP, India
59. Kusumam, India
60. Ashraf, India
61. Suja, India
60. Ramsingh, India
61. Manju RS, India
62. Pramod Puzhankara, India
63. Sunil Mehar, India
64. Safeera S, India
65. Veena Gupta, India
66. Yoganand, India
67. Dontham Charan, India
68. Madhavi Latha, India
69. Ghanshyam, India
70. Ram Murari, India
71. Mohan, India
72. Rahul Chauhan, India
73. Avinash, India
74. Pawan Kumar, India
75. Shyam, India
76. Alka T Kumar, India
77. Piyush Kumar, India
78. Ram Murari, India
79. Rajendra Kumbbhar, India
80. Dr. M. M. Khan, India
81. Shaziya Ahmad, India
82. Yash Pal, India
83. Nabajyoti Borgohain, India
84. Vishwanath Kumar, India
85. Naveen Babu, India
86. Shabnam Sengupta, India
87. Nihin K.S., India
88. Danish, India
89. Swathi Rapaka, India
90. Devika S, India
91. Aneesali, India
92. Puru Manjrey, India
93. Parwana Khan, Pakistan
94. Bharat Yadav, India
95. Boby R, India
96. Mohammad Mohsin Kha, India
97. Anika Sanyal, USA
98. Akshaya Sayeerajan, USA
