The arrest of Dr. Ratan Lal is clearly part of the ongoing campaign run by Delhi Police at the behest of the Home Ministry to harass and victimise democratic voices.
Stop the intimidation tactics against democratic voices!
CPIML condemns the arrest of Delhi University teacher Dr. Ratan Lal by Delhi Police on May 20, Saturday. Dr. Ratan Lal, an intellectual and a Dalit rights activist had written a Social Media post commenting on the absurdity of the communal politics in the context of the Gyanvapi Mosque issue. The Delhi Police registered an FIR against him by the on May 18 based on this post at the behest of the Sangh brigade.
He was charged under IPC sections related to promoting enmity between groups (153A) and outraging religious feeling (295A). This ironical as it is Sangh brigade, and not Dr. Ratan Lal, which is promoting enmity and spreading hatred in Gyanvapi Mosque issue by attempting to repeat the criminal and violent Babri Masjid demolition script at other sites. Not only that, Delhi Police fails to invoke these same IPC sections against Sanghi hatemongers who make public speeches threatening to shoot and massacre Muslims - but it is invoking them to gag a Delhi University teacher and prominent Dalit rights voice who used humour to bring sanity to a charged communal issue.
The arrest of Dr. Ratan Lal is clearly part of the ongoing campaign run by Delhi Police at the behest of the Home Ministry to harass and victimise democratic voices.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Ratan Lal, and scrapping of the FIR against him.
- Central Committee, CPIML Liberation
