The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
Denial of Permission to Left Delegation
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the denial of permission to a delegation of leaders of the CPI(M), CPI and KC(M) by the Durg Jail administration to meet nuns arrested by the Chhattisgarh GRP on fabricated charges. This attempt to suppress transparency, accountability, and the rights of individuals is unjustifiable.
The delegation consisting of CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and MPs K Radhakrishnan and AA Rahim; CPI leader Annie Raja and MP P P Suneer; and Kerala Congress (M) leader and MP Jose K Mani were refused permission to meet the arrested nuns today, on flimsy grounds, despite seeking written permission well in advance. It is only after a strong protest that they were granted permission to meet the nuns tomorrow.
The initial refusal to allow political leaders and elected representatives of the people to visit and assess the condition of those detained further underscores the state’s disturbing disregard for due process and human rights. Such actions are a direct affront to democratic principles, aimed to stifle inquiry and silence voices of dissent. It underscores the authoritarian character of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and states.
The charges levelled against the nuns are without merit and constitute a gross violation of their fundamental rights. The arrest of the nuns is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of undermining religious freedom and harassing minority communities. There is a pattern in this arrest, done at the behest of the Bajrang Dal. The right to practice one’s faith freely and peacefully, as enshrined in our Constitution, must be protected at all costs.