Left parties today hit out at Chhattisgarh government over its linking of some intellectuals including DU and JNU professors to a "false" murder case, saying the move reflects "growing authoritarianism" in the BJP-ruled state and asked it to withdraw the "fabricated" case.
"The registration of false murder cases against political adversaries and renowned academicians for a murder that took place only last Friday, when they visited the area six months earlier, is a direct assault on our democratic polity and indicates the growing trend of authoritarianism in the state," CPI(M) Politburo said in a statement.
It added, "The CPI(M) demands that the Chattisgarh government must withdraw this fabricated case immediately."
The party further recalled that the intellectuals concerned had visited the Maoist-hit Bastar district between May 12 and May 16 this year to interact with locals "in order to understand the situation concerning the reports of growing atrocities against tribals in that area".
"At that time also, the district administration of Bastar tried its best to falsely implicate them on fake charges on the basis of a contrived complaint," the Politburo alleged.
The party recalled general secretaries of CPI(M) and CPI had written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh over the issue, asking them to ensure human rights and civil liberties of the state's people are protected.
Joining CPI(M) in attacking the Singh government, the CPI deplored the "police excesses" in the state and accused it of targeting tribal people and subjecting them to "unimaginable tortures" in the name of fighting against Left-wing extremists.
"While condemning the police brutality and excesses in Chhattisgarh, the CPI urges upon the State government of Chhattisgarh to immediately withdraw the FIR against the scholars and activists and stop the attacks on the tribal people," it said.
Delhi University professor Nandini Sundar and JNU's Archana Prasad are among 10 people named by police in connection with the murder of a tribal villager, Shamnath Baghel, based on the complaint of his wife.
Armed Naxals had allegedly killed Baghel on Friday night at his residence in Nama village in Naxal-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
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