Eminent scholars and authors voice ‘alarm’ over undermining of Indian democracy

Urging the global community to take note of the recent situation in India’s democracy under the NDA government, several international scholars, academicians, and writers have written an open letter and expressed their deep concern.

The NDA government is accused of incarcerating critics of it without trial, and often without even a complete charge sheet.

“This entire democratic tradition is being fundamentally undermined by some recent developments in that country. Any abridgment of democracy in India is tragic, not only for the people of India but for all of humanity,” reads the letter.

The statement, including a separate one by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen addressed to “my fellow citizens”, provides several instances of

journalists and activists who have been incarcerated for simply being critical of the current government.

The letter points out that Prabir Purkayastha, the 75-year-old journalist, author, and founding editor of independent news portal Newsclick, has been arrested and, despite being imprisoned for nearly six months, is yet to be served a chargesheet.

“Others have been incarcerated even longer, such as those arrested in the Bheema-Koregaon case who(with the exception of those whom the courts have released on bail on medical or technical-legal grounds) have been languishing in prison for over five years without any trial,” the letter further highlighted.

The signatories include:

Amitav Ghosh, Novelist, and Author, New York, Wendy Brown, UPS Foundation Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor, Department of Comparative Literature, and the Program of Critical Theory, University of California, Berkeley,

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, University Professor, Columbia University, New York, Sheldon Pollock, Arvind Raghunathan Professor Emeritus of South Asian Studies, Columbia University, New York, Martha C. Nussbaum, Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Chicago, Steven Lukes, Professor of Politics and Sociology, New York University, New York, David Bromwich, Sterling Professor of English, Yale University, Marjorie Cohn, Professor, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego and others.