#DefendTeesta
#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

आपले आजोबा एम.सी. सेटलवाड हे देशाचे पहिले ॲटर्नी जनरल असणारी.. ती हीच, तिस्ता सेटलवाड!

जालियनवाला बाग हत्याकांडांत ४०० भारतीयांना गोळ्या घालणाऱ्या जनरल डायरच्या विरोधात, ब्रिटनच्या न्यायालयात खटला लढवून क्रूरकर्मा डायरवर कोर्ट-मार्शल कारवाई करण्यास आणि त्याची पदावनती करण्यास भाग पाडणारे, चिमणलाल हरीलाल सेटलवाड हे या तिस्ताचेच पणजोबा! डॉ. भीमराव आंबेडकरांच्या ‘बहिष्कृत हितकारिणी सभे’चेही ते संस्थापकीय अध्यक्ष होते.

ही तीच तिस्ता सेटलवाड आहे; जी दंगलीत मृत्युमुखी पडलेल्या शेकडो हिंदूंना न्याय मिळवून देण्यासाठी, फक्त न्यायालयीन लढाईच लढत नाहीय; तर डझनावारी पीडितांच्या मुलांच्या शिक्षणासाठी व उदरनिर्वाहासाठीही झटत आहे. १९९३च्या मुंबई बॉम्बस्फोटात मृत्युमुखी पडलेल्या ‘हिंदूंची’ लढाई देखील, तिस्तानेच लढवली आणि सरकारकडून मृतांच्या वारसदारांना मदत मिळवून दिली. याच तिस्ता सेटलवाडला, हे सावरकरवादी गुंड, हिंदू मानत नाहीत; कारण, बॉम्बस्फोटात मृत्युमुखी पडलेले दुर्दैवी जीव, हे फेरीवाले-टपरीवाले आणि सर्वसामान्य नागरिक होते…

सेटलवाड परिवाराची प्रत्येक पिढी ही सर्वसामान्य लोकांची लढाई लढत आलेली आहे. तिस्ताचे वडील सुप्रसिद्ध बॅरिस्टर होते आणि ‘जनहिताच्या मुद्द्यांवर संघर्ष करणारे व्यक्तिमत्व’ अशी त्यांची ओळख होती. या परिवाराने कधीही देशभक्तीचे ढोंग केले नाही. त्यांच्या तिन्ही पिढ्या सर्वसामान्यांसाठी, गोऱ्या इंग्रजांविरोधात लढल्या आणि स्वातंत्र्यानंतर, काळ्या इंग्रजांविरोधात आज लढत आहेत.

दुर्दैवाने, सद्यस्थितीत गद्दार आणि इंग्रजांचे ‘माफीवीर’ अशी ओळख असणाऱ्या सावरकरांच्या भक्तांचे शासन देशावर आहे.
“प्रत्येकजण पैशासाठीच काम करतोय आणि सत्तासंपत्तीच्या जोरावर, आम्ही कुणावरही दहशत माजवू शकतो”असं, इंग्रजांच्या पेन्शनवर जगणाऱ्यांच्या मानसपुत्रांनो, भीक मागून, मंदिरांच्या नावावर वर्गण्या गोळा करुन, त्यावर जगणाऱ्यांना जरुर वाटत असेल! पण, एक शूर स्त्री, सार्वजनिक क्षेत्रात बहादूरपणे वावरतेय… हाच, तिस्ता सेटलवाडच्या अस्तित्वाचा एकमात्र अर्थ आहे आणि त्यामुळेच, धर्मांध शक्तीं आणि त्यांचे सर्वेसर्वा घाबरलेले आहेत. तिस्ताला उध्वस्त करण्यासाठी, त्यांनी आपले सर्वस्व पणाला लावलंय, हीच खरी तिची मोठी ताकद आहे.
देशाची अर्ध्याहून लोकसंख्या, ज्या व्यक्तीला परमेश्वर मानते, तोच त्यांचा तथाकथित परमेश्वर मात्र, एकट्या ‘तिस्ता सेटलवाड’ला थरथर कापताना जाणवावा, अशी ही या तिस्ताची ‘नैतिक-दहशत’ आहे… भले मग, ‘त्याच्या’ खिशात आयबी, सीबीआय, सीआरपीएफ असो किंवा तो, ‘डेल्टा’ सुरक्षेसारख्या कितीही उच्चदर्जाच्या सुरक्षाव्यवस्थेत वावरत असो!

(देशाच्या स्वातंत्र्यासाठी लढणाऱ्या, आपल्या प्राणांची आहुती देणाऱ्या, प्रत्येक व्यक्ती, परिवार आणि विचारधारेचा, आरएसएस (RSS) कमालीचा द्वेष करीत आलेला आहे आणि म्हणूनच, त्यांच्याविरोधात कारवाई करण्याची एकही संधी ‘संघीय’ कधी सोडत नाहीत. १९२५ पासून, १९४७ पर्यंत, ‘आरएसएस’ने स्वातंत्र्यलढ्याच्या एखाद्या नायकावर कधी काही चांगला लेख लिहिलाय असा एकही ‘स्वातंत्रसेनानी’ किंवा स्वातंत्र्यलढ्यासाठी कुठलं आंदोलन त्यांनी उभारलंय, हे आपल्याला आढळून येणार नाही. त्याकाळी, हेच ‘संघीय’ एकतर, मोहम्मद अली जिनांशी सहमती राखून होते किंवा तत्कालीन इंग्रज शासनाने पुरवलेल्या आर्थिक रसदेतून स्वातंत्र्यसैनिकांबाबत गुप्त माहिती इंग्रजांना पुरवत होते)

मूळ हिंदी लेखक : सत्येंद्र पी.एस्.

मराठी अनुवाद : संजय दळवी

The arrest of Teesta Setalvad RB Sreekumar is an attack on democratic rights by the Modi regime. Inc should end its shameful silence in this matter

Shocking….Everyone should be talking about it, everyone should be writing about this… it should get more headlines.

I deplore GoI’s habit of targeting opponents & infringing on civil liberties, of which the arrest of Teesta Setalvad is the latest example. India’s democracy is our strength

Very worrying to learn of the detention of Indian activist Teesta Setalvad who led the campaign for accountability for the 2002 riots in Gujarat

The Indian authorities should immediately release the prominent human rights activist Teesta Setalvad, drop all charges against her & stop their relentless attacks against her

तिस्ता सेतलवाड आणि माजी IPS अधिकारी RB श्रीकुमार व संजीव भट्ट यांनी गुजरात दंगलीसंबंधात मोदींच्याविरोधी भूमिका घेतली म्हणून त्यांना अटक करणे,त्यांना त्रास देणे हे अतिशय निंदय आहे.या संबंधात सर्वोच्चन्यायालयाचे काय म्हणणे?हे स्पष्ट करणे अतिशयआवश्यकआहे.या तिघांचीहीताबडतोब सुटका करा

We condemn this arrest. It is unprecedented that the petitioners have been told to be put in the dock by the court. Teesta is our hero. She is being victimized and punished

Strongly condemn the arrest of Teesta Setalvad and RB Sreekumar who tirelessly fought to ensure justice for the victims of 2002 Gujarat pogrom. Secular and democratic forces in India will not bow down before these repressive measures of the Sangh Parivar politics

I’m saddened by the worsening human rights situation in India. For the EU to be able to strengthen its cooperation with India, the country must commit to the protection human rights defenders and release political prisoners such as the recently arrested activist Teesta Setalvad

20 जुलाई 1924 को बाबा साहब ने मुंबई में बहिष्कृत हितकारिणी सभा की स्थापना की। इसके चेयरमैन बाबा साहब खुद बने। और प्रेसिडेंट बने चिमनलाल सेतलवाड। Teesta setalvad के अपने परदादा। जब बाबा साहब लॉ मिनिस्टर बने तो उन्होंने उनके बेटे MC सेतलवाड को आज़ाद भारत का पहला अटॉर्नी जनरल बनाया

Deeply concerned by reports of #WHRD Teesta Setalvad being detained by Anti Terrorism Sqaud of Gujarat police. Teesta is a strong voice against hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime. I call for her release and an end to persecution by #Indian state

Efficiency thy name is Gujarat police. The ink had not dried on the paper on which the verdict was written and they were at Teesta’s house with a long list of charges in perfect legal language. As if their sixth sense had told them the verdict much before it was given

Deeply shocked to learn about Teesta Setalvad’s arrest and detention. She has been pursuing this case for years out of deep conviction without ever incurring suspicion of mala fide motive or intention

Teesta is hardly the only critic of the Gujarat government. Earlier, SC judges too have called out the Gujarat government for being a modern-day Nero. Should they be prosecuted too?

Home Minister Amit Shah recently declared that “No one can stop us from writing history anew” (ToI June 11). The outrageous arrest of Teesta Setalvad shows we’re not just rewriting the past. But our contemporary era and present as well

“USCIRF is concerned about the Indian government’s continued repression of critical voices— especially religious minorities and those reporting on and advocating for them.”

At Karnataka Janashakti conference, calls for united fight against State-sanctioned atrocities

Her arrest, along with former DGP R.B. Sreekumar, is a reprisal against those who have dared to expose the complicity of the highest functionaries of the state of Gujarat, in the riots

Authorities also jailed internationally recognized activist Teesta Setalvad, accusing her of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and other crimes, in an apparent reprisal for pursuing justice for the Muslim victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots

Jafri was being assisted in her quest for justice by Setalvad, whose organisation Citizens for Peace and Justice has helped hundreds of victims and secured many convictions. Setalvad impleaded herself in this case. She knew, as did Zakia Jafri, that they were up against the state itself with all the resources

Setalvad, Sreekumar’s Real ‘Crime’ Was Raising the Question of Modi’s Command Responsibility. It is, perhaps, not a coincidence that Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat police officer R.B. Sreekumar were arrested on June 25, 2022, the anniversary of the Emergency

The Zakia Ahsan Jafri vs State of Gujarat and another case (henceforth, Zakia Jafri) was a special leave petition (SLP), filed by Zakia Ahsan Jafri and Teesta Setalvad against the judgment and order passed by the Gujarat high court. The inclusion of Setalvad as a petitioner was objected to by the respondents and the court agreed to drop her as a petitioner.
In the normal course, the Supreme Court would be expected to either uphold the petition and grant the special leave to appeal; or reject or dismiss the petition and refuse to grant the special leave to appeal

We saw the arrest of activist Teesta Setalvad as “very disturbing as it also smacks of vendetta

The Observatory urges the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Teesta Setalvad, as well as Sanjiv Bhatt and R.B. Sreekumar, and to put an end to all acts of reprisals and harassment against them

A Huge Salute to the Human Rights Activist Teesta Setalvad ! I have known Teesta Setalvad for more than 30 years. She is a soulmate! An uncompromising fighter for human rights. A fearless champion of equal citizenship and rule of law. Teesta has always stood for liberal values, equal citizenship and composite culture. She has raised unequivocal voice against all forms of divisive and backward looking conduct.

Many would say that Setalvad is an activist and not a journalist, which is not true. Her activism emanates from the body of work of scores of journalists who have found gaps in the official narrative of the riots. These journalistic exposés compelled the Supreme Court, in the past, to relocate the trial outside Gujarat

Notice demanding the immediate release of Teesta Setalvad and R.B.Sreekumar
Renowned Human Rights Activist and senior Journalist Teesta Setalvad has been jailed by the Gujarat ATS and even been misbehaved with, shocking the entire nation.
We, Tripura’s village workers’ union, are harshly criticizing this diabolical move of the administration, in power at the centre. We have been shocked because of the Supreme court’s comments and thearrest and harassment that Setalvad had to go through

Yordam Kitap’ın da bir parçası olduğu Uluslararası Sol Yayıncılar Birliği, Hindistan-Gucarat’taki Müslüman katliamını anlatan kitabı nedeniyle tutuklanan Teesta Setalvad’ın serbest bırakılması çağrısı yaptı.
#FreeTeesta
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfW39bioCxU/

Libertad para Teesta Setalvad: Basta de persecución a escritorxs y activistas en la India
La periodista y activista Teesta Setalvad se encuentra ahora en una celda de la cárcel de Ahmedabad (India) por defender los derechos humanos y luchar contra la violencia.
#FreeTeesta #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners
– https://www.instagram.com/p/CfZstt3upW-/

i love teesta setalvad. known her 25 years. she republishe IndEditorsGuild report padgaonkar verghese (both dead alas) & i wrote on media role in riots. she real heroine. those brutalising her don’t know steel because no backbone themselves

Last fortnight was a sad one for me. My two friends, Teesta Setalvad and ex-DGP Sreekumar, were arrested. The sadness was deepened by the reactions that followed. Teesta and Sreekumar are not mere knee-jerk activists. They have a vision of the world. For Teesta, the Constitution is a playground of new freedoms. For Sreekumar, Sanskrit is a way of looking at the world, where an ethical reality comes alive with each sloka. They are both professional people with a deep sense of dignity in their concern for India

“The circumstances surrounding their arrest and detention would indicate that due legal process and political activism have been troublingly conflated. Such actions threaten the international reputation of the country you head, which for decades has been respected as a secular, democratic republic guided and governed by the rule of law, and the reputation of the Supreme Court of India and the Indian judiciary, which for decades has been respected as an upholder of the rule of law and the secular, democratic constitution of the country.”

I have known Teesta and Sreekumar for many years. Teesta was responsible for the conviction of a BJP minister in fomenting the riots in Ahmedabad in 2002.

Another one jailed for leading the mobs was Babu Bajrangi, a notorious Muslim baiter from the Hindu far-Right. Teesta went about her mission relentlessly and succeeded.

The courts, especially the Supreme Court, saw the justice in her pleadings and helped the process of delivering it. Perhaps the steady support of the courts had made her believe that she would succeed again but this time the target was one that even the most intrepid of today’s judges would hesitate to touch. But to pass those unnecessary strictures that an eager leadership was bound to pounce on to extract revenge was not expected.