The recent brutal attack on Mr. Prashant Bhushan, senior lawyer of Supreme Court and one of the senior members of Anna Hazare team against corruption, has once again challenged the freedom of speech, which forms the core of the constitutional rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Mr. Bhushan was brutally beaten up for favouring ‘plebiscite’ in Kashmir. The whole incident has botched up the country’s constitutional image and has shaken the very democratic values and principles on which the foundations of the country have been laid.
As the news of the attack came, condemnations started to pour in. People from all across the country started expressing their grief and anger over the undemocratic and unconstitutional activity of the Hindutva extremists. Various organisations came forward to express their views about the incident.
The Secretary-General Jamaat-e-Islami HInd, Mr. Nusrat Ali, who, while condemning the attack, asked the Government to protect the honour of the law of the country from being violated by taking stringent action against the perpetrators of the act, who carry the notion that they are above the law of the country. Mr. Ali, in a press statement, said the attack on Mr. Bhushan which took place under the nose of the Supreme Court, highlights the gravity of the situation which needs to be contained at the earliest. Efforts must be done to stop these activities so as to maintain the decorum of and regard for justice and democratic principles. The Jamaat leader extended his sympathy and showed concern for Mr. Bhushan and expressed solidarity with him.
The central secretary of the Jamaat, Engineer Muhammad Saleem, while participating in a protest rally in Jaipur, said, the attack on Prashant Bhushan is not an attack on him alone, but it is the attack on the democratic values and freedom of expression of the individual. He vehemently condemned the attack and said this cannot be taken as a mere attack by some individuals, but it is a well-planned attack, executed by the fascist group that claims to be patriotic and nationalist.
Er. Saleem said incidents like this are on the rise in the country and if the government does not take immediate and stern measures, it is expected to rise further. “Now we are faced with the question whether with the rise of such fascist powers, who consider themselves above the constitution and law, would we be able to secure the democratic principles?” he wondered.
He further said the culprits in the Babri Masjid demolition, Gujarat pogrom and in many other similar incidents are yet to get the due punishments, hence making the fascists satisfied and content that they can easily walk away with impunity. The fascists are becoming surer and surer that the government is incapable of whipping them for their act showing impudence to the laws.
Er. Saleem said these incidents happen only when the governments show lackadaisical and lax attitude, hence the government is also equally responsible for such acts.
He demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the crime so that they can be prosecuted under the law of the land, which would in turn act as a deterrent and help in curtailment of such activities.
The Welfare Party of India also came forward to condemn the attack and called for stringent action against the culprits and measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Dr. Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, General Secretary of the Party, in a press statement, said it was a sad day for democracy as a handful of anti-social elements of Sri Ram Sene and Bhagat Singh Karanti Sena dared for broad-daylight assault on Mr. Bhushan, a senior advocate and human rights activist in his chambers in the heavily guarded premises of the Supreme Court. Prasant Bhushan’s statement on Kashmir is the reason for the attack by the right wing fanatics. Violent suppression of dissent and right to differ is nothing, but fascism, said Dr. Ilyas.
Had the central and state governments taken stringent action against Sri Ram Sene, when it imposed its brutal moral policing in Karnataka and other states, this should not have had happened. Dr. Ilyas asked the central government to shed its soft and lenient attitude towards the intolerant and violent acts of right-wing organisations violating all norms of law and democratic rights.
The wave of demonstrations even reached Madras where a group of advocates staged a demonstration to condemn the attack. The demonstration was led by N. G. R. Prasad who said Bhushan should be credited for sending several people to jail in 2G spectrum case.
The APCR (Association for Protection of Civil Rights) came in support of Mr. Bhushan and vociferously condemned the cowardly attack by the fascist groups. Mr. Akhlaq Ahmed, Secretary APCR, said, “This attack should be treated as one on every citizen of India who favours freedom of speech…. This is our great concern that the attack on Mr. Bhushan is planned and belongs to the same chain which killed Human Rights Lawyer Shahid Azmi, attacked human Rights Lawyers in Uttar Pradesh and other states of the country, attacked Arundhati Roy, S.A.R. Geelani and others.”
Mr. Ahmed reiterated that the attacks take place because of the inaction of the administration and the governments. He said, “The accused should be given harshest possible punishment.” He also demanded ban on such extremists groups and a high level enquiry into these organisations including their activities, funding, literature, supporters and political godfathers. He further urged the people of India to boycott these evil elements of the society who are disguising themselves in religious and national garbs.
The Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference condemned the cowardly attack on Mr. Bhushan, saying the incident has “exposed India’s tall claims about being the world’s largest democracy.”
The attack clearly shows that the Hindutva fanatics are having a field day in India and they have no respect for the Constitution of India.