Modi govt using laws like UAPA to stifle dissent: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of stifling dissent and said the "dangerous misuse" of laws like the UAPA to threaten free expression is part of the BJP's broader attack on the Constitution.

The opposition party hit out at the government and cited several cases, including those of Anand Teltumbde, Nodeep Kaur, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty.

"Under the Modi government, law has increasingly been used to stifle dissent and delay justice. Between 2014 and 2022, 8,719 UAPA cases yielded only a 2.55% conviction rate, exposing its misuse to target critics, students, journalists, and activists," Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X.

"Pre-trial presumption of guilt, social media and media-driven trials, and recent trend of dismissing habeas corpus petitions by the Supreme Court deepen this crisis of justice," he said.

Anand Teltumbde, Nodeep Kaur, and Mahesh Raut were arrested under UAPA in the Bhima Koregaon case, Khera said. Teltumbde, he pointed out, was released after serving three years in jail and Kaur was granted bail the same year she was arrested, but she was allegedly beaten and sexually assaulted while in custody.

Mahesh Raut has been in prison since 2018, he added.

"Student activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and Safoora Zargar were arrested under UAPA for their alleged involvement in the anti-CAA protests. Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam remain in jail from 2020," he said.

Khera alleged that journalists Fahad Shah and Irfan Mehraj were arrested under UAPA for their reporting.

"Prabir Purkayastha and Amit Chakravarty were arrested under UAPA in a foreign funding case related to NewsClick in 2023. Fahad Shah was released after 600 days. The rest continue to languish in jails," he said.

These are just fragments of a far more entrenched rot, Khera said.

"In reality, most of these are cases of vendetta against those challenging this government. Courts repeatedly highlight this abuse. Delhi HC explicitly stated, 'Protest cannot be terrorism', releasing Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal & Asif Tanha. SC freed journalist Zubair and climate activist Disha Ravi, criticizing arrests as attempts to stifle free speech," the Congress leader said.

"Safeguarding India's democracy begins with protecting peaceful dissent and free expression. But the dangerous misuse of laws like UAPA threatens these very freedoms, and is a part of BJP's broader attack on the Indian Constitution," Khera said.

He also shared an article written by Khalid from his time in Tihar jail.