Letter by 130 Lawyers – COVID & Prisoners

04292020Letter130LawyersHPCMaha

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STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF DR. R. S. PRAVEEN KUMAR, IPS

To
The President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan,
New Delhi, India.

Your Excellency,

We, the academics and activists of South Asian origin from across the world, as well as our international allies engaged with and concerned about India write to add our voice in support of Dr. R. S. Praveen Kumar, Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS). We research and teach the histories and emancipatory struggles of marginalized communities in India. Therefore, we are fully aware of the importance of educational opportunities provided by the Indian government to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Every year from March15 to April 14, coinciding with the birthdays of Kanshi Ram and Dr. B.. R. Ambedkar, Dalits across India celebrate Bhim Diksha. This year, on March 15, 2021, Dr. R. S. Praveen Kumar participated in Bhim Diksha and the organizers recited the pledge of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar recited at the time of his conversion to Buddhism. Some vested interests recorded the pledge and started a smear campaign against Dr. Kumar, labeling him anti-Hindu. Even though he has distanced himself and stated that as a responsible administrator and citizen of the country, he stands by the constitutional values of inclusion, attacks on him are continuing in social media and other platforms, to the extent of demanding his removal.

Please read the full statement and support it with your signature!

Bishop Michael Curry’s statement on Hathras.

Compassionately strong statement from Bishop Michael Curry, the First African American Presiding Bishop of the over 500 year old Episcopal Church. Pointing to the connections between Dalits and the African American communities in the USA, Bishop Curry calls for concerted action towards justice for all as he condemns the atrocities against women, and Dalits in India.

“I realize the powerful parallels between Dalit struggle (and African Americans') for equal dignity and equal rights, and justice under the law, their work to create a humane and just society.”

“Much of the Dalit struggle is similar to our work here as African Americans and people of color in the United States ... God did not make us to be under anybody’s boot. We are created equal.”

April 8th, 2020

UPDATE: Despite an application in the Supreme Court of India for the postponement of the arrest of human rights activists Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, on grounds that incarceration during the Coronavirus crisis is a virtual death sentence, especially given their age and state of health, the Supreme Court of India refuses the request and demands “surrender” by April 14.

10810_2020_0_1_21590_Order_08-Apr-2020

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For more info. go to: Bhima Koregaon: SC Grants One More Week To Navlakha & Teltumbde To Surrender

April 8th, 2020