New Delhi, 20 Dec : Eminent Hindi writers, intellectuals, political and social organisations have signed the statement in solidarity of the Journalists' movement scheduled for tomorrow i.e. Dec 21, 2015 in Jagdalpur of Bastar demanding release of jailed journalists Santosh Yadav and Somaru Naag in Chhattigarh under fabricated charges.

Eminent writer Uday Prakash has signed the solidarity statement who was the first to return Sahitya Academy award this year including hundreds of writers later that has created a national debate over growing intolerance in the country. Senior writers Asad Zaidi, Anand Swaroop Verma, Pankaj Bisht, Apoorvanand, Dilip Mandal, Subhash Gatade and senior journalists like Jawed Naqwi, Bharat Bhushan, Sema Mustafa, Ujjwal Bhattacharya, Rajkishor and Prashant Tandon have also condemned the state repression of scribes in Chattisgarh.

The political and social organisations supporting the release of jailed journalists include Peoples' Democratic Front Of India, AIPWA, Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association, New Socialist Initiative,Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra, All India Tanzeem-e-Insaf, Yuva Bharat, Rihai Manch, Insaf Abhiyan, JUCS, PUCL Delhi and Jan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti.

Many independent websites and portals have come out in solidarity including bhadas4media.com, hastakshep.com/old, pratoriodh.com, bargad.org, sangharshsamwad.org, hashiya, junputh.com etc. Apart, socio-cultural organisations supporting the journalists' agitation include Aghaaz Sanskritik Manch, Kavita: 16 May Ke Baad, Jan Media, Journalist Solidarity Forum, Sanhati.

Journalists all over the country are going to organise a movement on Dec 21 demanding enactment of a law for protection of journalists and immediate release of Santosh Yadav and Somaru Naag.

Release Santosh-Somaru! Enact pretection law for journalists! Repeal CSPSA!

Statement of Solidarity for journalists' movement in Chhattisgarh

We extend our unconditional support to the journalists' movement proposed on December 21, 2015 in Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh demanding the enactment of a protection law for scribes and immediate release of two reporters Santosh Yadav and Somaru Naag, who were arrested in September and July this year in fabricated cases and charged under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA). We have seen a surge in the attack on right to freedom of expression in recent times where journalists have been intimidated, bullied and even killed in different parts of the country. This has raised questions over legitimacy of democratically elected governments and is threatening the basic principles of democracy.

Chhattisgarh is notably different in this respect as journalists here are forced to take sides either with the state or with the Maoist insurgents. In the distant areas of Dantewada, survival of a journalist depends on the meager concessions given by either police or Maoists. If in case he dares to sympathize with the marginalized tribals sandwiched between police and insurgents and eventually finds it difficult to suppress his voice of conscience, then he is destined to death or is sent behind bars. This deplorable condition is outlined in the case of Nemichandra Jain and Sai Reddy, who were first sent to jail on charges of being Maoist informer and when released, killed by Maoists who termed them as police agents. Santosh Yadav and Somaru Naag are victims of the same vicious circle who are now facing severe torture inside Jagdalpur jail since last few months but unfortunately, no collective voice has been raised in their support at national level until date.

Although, journalists in Bastar have successfully agitated in the past. They have equally condemned the state and police atrocities as well as opposed intimidation of free speech by Maoists. When journalist Nemichandra Jain was killed by Maoists, there was a huge mobilization among fraternity and a collective decision was taken not to publish any news item on insurgents. This collective action forced a written apology from Maoist spokesperson Gudsa Usendi. When Sai Reddy was murdered, journalists decided to enter the Maoist stronghold and dissent to send a direct message that terror on free speech will not be tolerated. Journalists there have taken the same position against police and state machinery. These past events and agitations only prove that journalists of Bastar are collectively fighting to preserve the fundamental right to freedom of expression and speech.

A healthy and functioning democracy requires that journalists should feel free to work in an objective manner without any fear. The case of Santosh Yadav and Somaru Naag is a characteristic example of state terror and police's high-handedness hence it is imperative to build a struggle for freedom of expression and speech around this. Although lately, but recent agitation on this issue at national level should be welcomed in word and spirit.

We demand immediate and unconditional release of Santosh and Somaru. We demand repealing of draconian CSPSA and enactment of a law to protect journalists. These are the same demands to be raised on December 21 by the movement. Apart, we demand a white paper from the state government on the attacks and harassment of scribes during last five years in Chhattisgarh, to initiate a public discussion on this issue and to facilitate the formation of a comprehensive law for protection of journalists.

We also demand that the officials involved in conspiracy against jailed journalists must be identified and brought to book. A case must be registered against officials and the jailed journalists must be compensated for the loss. Last but not the least, we appeal to all the editors in Chhattisgarh to stand up against scuttling of free speech and leave the editorial space empty in their publications on December 21, 2015 in support of the larger movement.

Signatories

Arjun Prasad Singh (Peoples' Democratic Front Of India)

Anand Swaroop Verma (Samkaleen Teesari Dunia)

Pankaj Bisht (Samayantar)

Asad Zaidi (Writer and Publisher)

Uday Prakash (Writer)

Apoorvanand (Delhi University)

Jawed Naqwi (Senior Journalist)

Bharat Bhushan (Senior Journalist)

Ujjwal Bhattacharya (Senior Journalist, Delhi/Germany)

Dilip C. Mandal (Senior Journalist)

Anil Chamadia (Media Studies Group)

Subhash Gatade (New Socialist Initiative)

Ish Mishra (Delhi University)

Shabnam Hashmi (Social activist, Delhi)

Kavita Krishnan (AIPWA, CPI-ML Liberation)

Manisha Sethi (Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association)

Seema Mustafa (Senior Journalist)

Shoma Sen

Richa Pandey (Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra)

SANHATI (Delhi)

Ameeq Jamei (All India Tanzeem-e-Insaf)

Dr. A.K. Arun (Yuva Samwad and Yuva Bharat)

Deep Singh Shekhawat (Jan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti)

Mahtab Alam (PUCL, Delhi)

Shahnawaz Alam (Rihai Manch)

Rajeev Yadav (Insaf Abhiyan, U.P.)

Journalists' Union For Civil Society

Bhupen Singh (Journalist Solidarity Forum)

Yashwant Singh (Bhadas4Media.com)

Rajkishor (Senior Journalist, Delhi)

Prashant Tandon (Senior Journalist, Delhi)

Nasiruddeen Haidar Khan (Independent Journalist)

Amalendu Upadhyaya (Hastakshep.com)

Panini Anand (Pratirodh.com)

Dilip Khan (Journalist, Delhi)

Prashant Rahi (Social Activist)

Avnish Rai (Jan Media/Mass Media)

Prakash K. Ray (Bargad.org)

Peeush Pant (Lok Samwad)

Pankaj Molekhi (Senior Journalist, Delhi)

Geeta Seshu (Journalist, Delhi)

Jitendra Chahar (Sangharsh Samwad)

Ranjeet Verma (Kavita: 16 May Ke Baad)

Ashok Kumar Pandey (Aaghaaz Sanskritik Manch)

Reyazul Haq (Hashiya)

Debadityo Sinha (Vindhya Bachao Abhiyan, Mirzapur)

Abhishek Srivastava (Junputh.com)

Varun Shailesh (Journalist, Delhi)

Saroj Kumar (Journalist, Delhi)

Arvind K. Pandey (Indowaves)

Mary Mathai

Mukul Saral

Subhash Gatade

    Subhash Gatade is a journalist, left-wing thinker and human rights activist. He has been writing for the popular media and a variety of journals and websites on issues of history and politics, human right violations and state repression, communalism and caste, violence against Dalits and minorities, religious sectarianism and neo-liberalism, and a host of other issues that analyse and hold a mirror to South Asian society in the past three decades. He is an important chronicler of our times, whose writings are as much a comment on the mainstream media in this region as on the issues he writes about. Subhash Gatade is very well known despite having been published very little in the mainstream media and is highly respected by scholars and social activists. He writes in both English and Hindi, which makes his role as public intellectual very significant. He edits Sandhan, a Hindi journal, and is author of Pahad Se Uncha Admi, a book on Dasrath Majhi for children, and Nathuram Godse’s Heirs: The Menace of Terrorism in India.