Nearly 70 lawyers, activists and citizens came together near the civil court premises in the heart of Bengaluru to protest the arrest of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
Setalvad, along with retired IPS officer R B Sreekumar, was arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on June 26 for “fabrication of evidence and tutoring the witnesses of 2002 post-Godhra riots to frame innocent people.”
The protesters demanded the immediate release of Setalvad, who has been working on behalf of riot survivors for 20 years. “She has been arrested for being the voice for the voiceless. The right to speech is put into question. We demand her immediate release,” said human rights activist T Narasimha Murthy.
Questioning the grounds of her arrest and claiming the instance to be total injustice, C S Dwarkanath, former Chairman of Backward Classes Commission, said: “Is approaching the court of law a crime? If allegations are made, let them file the charge sheet. How can people be taken into custody suddenly? All human rights activists are being curbed. The fascist government working through the courts is what is scary. How can a common man approach the court when this happens to a well-known activist (sic).”