Actor Prakash Raj spoke about the growing crackdown on dissent and shrinking democratic space at a public discussion organised by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) on Wednesday.
Criticising the government for silencing voices of opposition, he warned that far-right elements in India “are waiting for Israel to achieve their genocide so that they can do that too.”
“We all should understand this right-wing government, and right-wing governments across the world, want us to watch a genocide. They want to make it into a new normal,” Prakash Raj said.
He said that young and educated Indian Muslims are being jailed because they are well aware of geopolitics and are future leaders. “They have a voice, and yes, they are Muslims. That is why the government is afraid of them,” he said.
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“You know what is happening in this country, how this government is using institutions to keep young Indians in jail so that they can stay in power. The atmosphere has already been created in this country,” he noted.
He spoke about several anti-CAA protestors, including Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Athar Khan, Shadab Ahmed, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, and Tahir Hussain, languishing in jails for years, without a trial.
“I often wonder where they get their resilience from? I remember when Umar Khalid’s father was advised that his son should shift to southern India after his release, the father firmly said, ‘My son is not going anywhere. He will stay here and will copntinue to fight,’” Prakash Raj said.
“This is the resilience the government is afraid of. This is what they want to break. They fear questioning and will continue to, because they have the system in their hands. The only way is to keep raising our voices continuously,” he added.
On September 2, the Delhi High Court rejected bail applications for anti-CAA activists, some of whom have been imprisoned since 2020.
Human rights organisations have described the prolonged five-year incarceration of these activists and scholars without bail or trial as “injustice” and “politically motivated.” They warned that it “strangles democracy,” violates the right to bail, and reflects “systemic targeting,” with the UAPA being used as a tool to punish dissent without due process.
The actor gave an example of a friend who is a victim of WhatsApp university. “He fears Muslims but loves Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. When he is sad, he listens to Mohammed Rafi; when he wants to express love, he turns to Faiz’s poetry, but he still fears Muslims,” he said.
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