India: End Unjust Incarceration Of Comrade Prashant Bose And All Political Prisoners

 

On November 12, 2021, Mr. Prashant Bose, an elderly political activist from Jharkhand, and his comrade and partner, Shila Marandi, were arrested by the state police while traveling to a doctor’s appointment for a cataract procedure. Since then, despite being in critical health and being close to 80 years old, he has been imprisoned in a Jharkhand jail. He is a veteran political activist who has participated in and led several peasant uprisings in states like Bengal, undivided Bihar, and subsequently Jharkhand and Bihar.

We believe that although one may disagree with a certain political ideology, they should never be
criminalized for adopting an ideology that differs from the State’s. Rather than releasing this elderly man, the government has been pressing cases against him one after another, thus putting him behind bars for years at a time without a trial. This strategy effectively negates the supreme court’s dictum, “bail is rule, jail is the exception”, and thereby the Indian State has been transforming the legal process into substantive punishment.

Furthermore, it is inhumane on the part of the State to detain an octogenarian and keep him in prison.
Based on information gleaned from several news outlets, Mr. Bose is afflicted with multiple conditions
such as hypertension, paralysis, and others, which render him unable to even stand independently. We are aware that jail infrastructure is completely unfit for such elderly and sick people to conduct normal lives. This implies that detaining such individuals actually reduces their right to life guaranteed by the
constitution. We have already lost Father Stan Swamy as a result of the State’s indifference to letting him live a life of dignity.

A number of United Nations declarations on senior/ageing citizens (being affirmed by the Government of India) highlight the growing population of older prisoners and urge the nations to rethink the concept of care and custody of these “forgotten minority”. This perspective questions the “iron law of correction”and urge the nations to release the old, ageing and ailing prisoners with immediate effect. Therefore, viewing from this perspective too, any further incarceration of Mr. Bose (and others) is a gross violation of the international human rights law in regard to senior citizen-prisoners. Apart from this, The DIG of Jharkhand Police did not allow his relatives to visit him during the initial 3 months of his incarceration period. This is totally unconstitutional and goes against all the national and international jail codes. Neither the relatives, nor the civil rights activists are allowed to visit Mr. Bose.

India is increasingly moving towards becoming a fascist state, with police enforcement and complete
subjugation to the dictatorship of the Brahmanical Hindutva forces. Draconian laws like UAPA, which are modernized reenactments of laws like the colonial Rowlatt Law, have been woven into the Constitution. The Indian State, in a desperate attempt to stifle all voices of dissent, has launched an all-out attack on all progressive and democratic forces.

We, the undersigned organizations, demand the immediate and unconditional release of Prashant Bose and all political prisoners.

India:
1. All India Students’ Association
2. All India Revolutionary Students’ Organization
3. Revolutionary Students’ Front, West Bengal
4. Democratic Youth Student Association, West Bengal
5. Progressive Democratic Student Federation, West Bengal
6. Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, West Bengal
7. Sangrami Krishak Manch, West Bengal
8. Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, West Bengal
9. Asansol Civil Rights Association, West Bengal
10. Bandi Mukti Committee, West Bengal
11. Jharkhand Council for Democratic Rights, Jharkhand
12. Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Virasam), Andhra Pradesh
13. Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee, Andhra Pradesh
14. Forum Against Repression, Telengana
15. Telengana Civil Liberties Committee, Telangana
16. Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, Nagaland
17. Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Tamil Nadu
18. Students Uprising Movement for Social Welfare, Tamil Nadu
19. Revolutionary Students and Youth Front, Tamil Nadu
20. Makkal Adhikaram, Tamil Nadu
21. Makkal Adhikaram, Pondicherry
22. Moolvasi Bachao Manch, Chattisgarh
23. Students For Society, Punjab
24. Association For Democratic Rights, Punjab
25. Association For Democratic Rights, Haryana
26. Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Morcha, Delhi
27. Revolutionary Students League, Delhi
28. Campaign Against State Repression, Delhi
29. Dayar-i-Shauq Students Charter, Delhi
30. Parivartankami Chhatra Sangham, Delhi
31. Ambedkar Students Association, Delhi
32. Moolnibasi Student Youth Front, Odisha
33. Moolnibasi Literature Club, Odisha
34. Democratic Students Association, Kerala
35. Porattom, Kerala

International
36. International League of People’s Struggle
37. International Committee to Support People’s War in India

38. All Burma Federation of Students Unions, Myanmar
39. Revolutionary Students Union, United States of America
40. All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (Revolutionary), Nepal
41. Revolutionary Student Youth Movement, Bangladesh
42. Yeni Demokrat Gençlik, Turkey
43. Progressive Students Collective, Pakistan
44. League of Filipino Students, Philippines
45. Young Communist League, Switzerland
46. Marxist Students Collective, England
47. Young Revolutionaries/League of Young Revolutionaries, France
48. Unity Campaign for the Liberation of Georges Abdallah, France
49. The Red CRI for the Defense of Revolutionary Prisoners, France
50. The Committee of Actions and Support for the Struggles of the Moroccan People, France
51. Action for the Democratic Rights of the People, Austria
52. Revolutionary People’s Student Movement, Brazil
53. Red Unity – Revolutionary Youth League, Brazil
54. People’s Dawn, Brazil
55. Red Mangue, Brazil
56. People’s Student League, Brazil
57. People’s Women’s Movement, Columbia
58. Student Movement Serving the People, Columbia
59. Red League, Germany
60. Kämpfende Jugend Bremen, Germany
61. Roter Aufbruch Dresden, Germany,
62. Roter Ring [Braunschweig], Germany
63. Rote Jugend Rostock, Germany
64. Rote Jugend Mittelfranken, Germany
65. Struggle Committee, Norway

Periodicals:
66. Partizan, Turkey
67. Nazariya – Kal Ka, India
68. Towards A New Dawn, India
69. Burning Ballot Box, America
70. Serve the People, Vietnam