In a deeply troubling incident, Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor at Ashoka University, was arrested by Haryana Police for a social media post that called out hate crimes, critiqued war-hysteria, and highlighted the suffering of civilians. Similarly, an FIR has been filed by the Azamgarh police against All India Students Association (AISA) Uttar Pradesh President Comrade Manish Kumar for a Facebook post that questioned the Modi government’s silence and demanded accountability.
What we witness today are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic assault on democratic and constitutional rights. Across the country, particularly in BJP-ruled states, hundreds of citizens have been arbitrarily detained on fabricated charges for merely expressing their views online. This crackdown on democratic voices is accompanied by a coordinated campaign of bigoted harassment in both online and public spaces, driven by BJP-backed right-wing forces targeting those who speak out against hate and jingoism.
Amid this rising tide of war hysteria, hate-mongering, and attack on constitutional ethos, the Prime Minister, who in his recent speech spoke of unity, remains disturbingly silent. His refusal to denounce the vile targeting of bureaucrats and women officers in the armed forces by hate-filled mobs is not merely silence. It is a loud and clear signal of where this regime stands.
These acts of criminalising democratic voices are proof that the BJP government neither believes in constitutional democracy nor has the courage to face public scrutiny. To question, to critique, to seek answers is not a crime. These are the constitutional rights of every citizen.
We call upon the Government of India to immediately end this policy of suppression. We demand the immediate release of Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad and the scrapping of all fabricated cases against those who speak out against hate and demand accountability. We also call for strict action against the perpetrators of vile, bigoted, and hate-filled harassment campaigns targeting those exercising their democratic voices.
-- Central Committee, CPI(ML) Liberation (New Delhi, May 18, 2025)
