A Letter of Support, from Gujarat to Kashmir



A group of over 250 activists, academics, students, artists and concerned citizens of Gujarat wrote this letter to declare solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have been silenced and held captive in their own land. We call for a complete lift on the media and communications blockade (including restoration of internet services), the release of political prisoners detained without trial since August 5, the demilitarisation of Kashmir, and the initiation of a meaningful dialogue with the people of the region on their future. 



 



A Letter of Support, from Gujarat to Kashmir



On August 5, the Indian state unilaterally and without consultation with the Jammu and Kashmir  legislature revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s right to self-governance. It brought the region under the direct control of the New Delhi government. In doing so, the central government displayed a blatant disregard for the nation’s founding principles of democracy, secularism and justice. 



This was followed by a military blockade and an unprecedented media and communications shutdown, which has lasted more than two months. The blockade has plunged the people of Jammu and Kashmir into fear and uncertainty and initiated a humanitarian crisis in the region. Kashmiris have been denied the basic civil liberties and freedoms of expression, information, assembly, movement and religion. Eid and Ashura passed as the clampdown continued, and Kashmiris both within and outside the state were unable to wish their family members. Even when an earthquake hit Mirpur, killing 38 and injuring hundreds, there was no media coverage of damages, injuries and fatalities on the Indian side of the LoC, leaving Kashmiris across India unable to contact their loved ones.



Despite mounting and credible evidence of human rights abuses and a healthcare crisis from numerous international media sources and independent fact-finding missions, the Indian government continues to insist that everything in Kashmir has returned to ‘normal’. 



Military forces have detained thousands of people, among them politicians, leaders, lawyers, journalists, teachers, students, and children as young as ten. Civilians, including children, are being tortured and ruthlessly beaten and subjected to electric shocks. 



In a report from BBC News, a civilian is quoted saying, “we told them we are innocent. We asked why they were doing this to us? But they did not listen to us. I told them don’t beat us, just shoot us. I was asking God to take me, because the torture was unbearable.” 



Meanwhile, medical reports and hospital admission logs are being manipulated in order to keep casualty reports low. Doctors report being under pressure not to issue death certificates. 



On August 15, as the rest of India celebrated independence from colonial rule, Kashmir went into an indefinite lockdown imposed by the Indian government. As India celebrated freedom won through years of protest, civil disobedience, and a commitment to self-rule, Kashmiris were being denied those very liberties. 



With each passing day that this is allowed to continue, India inches closer to fascism, and further from democracy. 



While thousands protest outside the United Nations in New York, here in Ahmedabad the police refuses permission to protest. Gujarat is where the very spirit of dissent has been crushed under the weight of a state actively and tacitly supported by the majority. The state has attempted to control the media narrative, shuttered places of protest, and stifled age-old democratic institutions like the Gujarat Vidyapith and the Mehdi Nawaz Jung Hall. The Sabarmati Riverfront, touted as a monumental reclamation of public space, does not allow for public assembly and dissent. 



Despite this, we assert that there are still voices in Gujarat calling for change, voices that some have tried their best to quell, but that refuse to remain silent. Among civil society leaders, there is a sense of fear, uncertainty and helplessness. And yet, and still, there is dissent. 



The Indian state has decided that the value of land is greater than that of human life. We cannot let this stand. We the undersigned stand in solidarity with Kashmiris, and demand that Kashmiri voices be heard. 



Now, more than ever, is the time to remember those who fought for our freedom, B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, among so many others. These freedom fighters had a dream for this country, a pluralist democracy composed of states and peoples who willingly came together to preserve the idea of India. This dream of a free state did not and could not have included shutting an entire people out of the democratic process and imprisoning them. 



It is imperative today that we remember their vision of a state in which justice, equality and peace could reach everyone, and in their memory, fight for freedom once more, from those who wish to usurp the very idea of what this country stands for. 



We urge the Indian government to lift the communication and media blockade, restoring fundamental human rights to freedom of movement, assembly and information.



We call for the release of all political prisoners - leaders and young people - who have been detained without trial since August 5.



We call for the demilitarisation of Kashmir, and the initiation of a meaningful conversation with the Kashmiri people on the future of the state. 



Signed,



In Gujarat



Dev Desai, Social Activist, Anhad



Maansi Shah, Teacher, CEPT University



Sharik Laliwala, Researcher



Maya Ratnam, Teacher, Ahmedabad University



Akshaya Vijayalakshmi, IIM Ahmedabad



Navdeep Mathur, Teacher, IIM Ahmedabad



Inayat Singh Kakar, Researcher, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan



Ishu Gupta, Researcher, IIM Ahmedabad



Hiren Gandhi, Activist, Samvedan Samsritik Manch



Aziz Minat, Concerned Citizen



Shraddha Kulhari, Concerned Citizen



Fr. Cedric Prakash, Activist



Rakesh Basant, Concerned Citizen



Dhaval M Chauhan, PhD Student, Gujarat University



Parth Trivedi, Activist



Poornima Varma, Academician



Prasad Chacko, Social Worker



Swati Goswami, Writer, Artists Unite Ahmedabad



Rachana Mudraboyina, Transgender Rights Activist



Anilbhai, Concerned Citizen



Aparajith Ramnath, Academic



Shyam Shah, Architect



Jignesh Sengal, Banker 



Nitish, Student, SFI



Sonia Mishra, Concerned Citizen



Bhargav Oza, Researcher



Kavan Gediya, Student



Dixit Kumar Parmar, Activist, RDAM



Ikram Beg Mirza, President, Welfare Party of India, Gujarat



Navdeep Mathur, Teacher, IIM Ahmedabad



Mohammed Marfatiya, Concerned Citizen



Maneksha Varghese, Concerned Citizen



Suahila, Concerned Citizen



Sejal Dand, Activist



Atish Indrekar Chhara, Theatre Activist, Budhan Theatre



Ghanshyam Patel, Concerned Citizen



Rathore Rameezkhan, Teacher, Azad Foundation



Krishnakant, Volunteer, NAPM



Prashant Patel, Photojournalist, Amar Photography



Ketan Satish Deshmukh, Student, IIM Ahmedabad



Svati Shah, Concerned Citizen



Nirjhari Sinha, Activist, Jan Sangharsh Manch



Ghanshyam Shah, Retired Professor, JNU



Abbas Ghulam Mehdi, Teacher



Persis Ginwalla, Concerned Citizen



Firoz Rangrez, Politician



Daud N. Kitharia, Activist, Action for Juhapura Infrastructure Movement (AJIM)



Rohit Prajapati, Activist



Nimmi Chauhan, Independent Development Communications Practitioner



Aruna, Concerned Citizen



Neha Shah, Teacher



Danish Qureshi, Legal Activist, Democratic Minority Forum



Varadharajan Ramakrishnan, Software Entrepreneur



Rachana Varadharajan, Pharma Industry - Operations



Balendra Vaghela, Concerned Citizen



Huma Nizami, Teacher



Riaz Motiwala, Concerned Citizen



Divya R., Concerned Citizen



Najir Patel, Activist, Ahmedabad Task Force



Adil, Concerned Citizen



Kadir Shaikh, Concerned Citizen



Ammar, Teacher



Salman Mansuri, Concerned Citizen



Salim Mansuri, Concerned Citizen



Aslam Langha, Social Worker



Tofik Kazi, Android Developer



Naeem Ansari, Service



Murtaza T Madraswala, Versatile Designer



Saiyed Mohsin Saiyedali, Tailor, SDPI / ATF



Saiyed Mohammedyunus, Police Service



Shabana Patel, Activist



Mirza SoyebBeg YashinBeg, Student 



Mohammadfarhaz Shaikh, Student



Ansari Akib Ali Akbar Ali, Student



Javed Gori, Self Employed



Vhora Alfaz, Concerned Citizen



Zakwan Mansuri, Data Scientist



Ashraf Husen Liyakat Husen Shaikh, Student



Gautam Priyadarshi, Student



Ali, Concerned Citizen



Tausifahmed Diwan, Underwriter, Star Health



Isharahmad Khalilullakhan Pathan, Manager



Gulammohiyuddin Muntazimoddin Kazi, Engineer, Tuv Sud South Asia Pvt Ltd



Azhar Saiyed, Architect And Social Worker



Natasha M., Concerned Citizen



Sumaiya, Government Servant



Leepi Agrawal, QA Engineer, Automation Anywhere



Mridul Gupta, Student



Dishant Lodaliya, Concerned Citizen



Nachiketa Desai, Freelance Journalist



Abdul Hafiz Lakhani, Editor, Gujarat Siyasat Newspaper



J.S.Bandukwala, Concerned Citizen



Munawar Hussain, Journalist



Shamshad Pathan, Lawyer, Alp Sankhyak Adhikar Manch



Imran Bhohariya, Social Worker



Sameer Yadav, Academic Associate, Anant National University



Neha Patel, Student 



Bhavesh Jain, Gandhinagar Institute of Technology



Amaani Vaniya, Concerned Citizen



Manav Sumara, Concerned Citizen



Abdul Qayyum, Concerned Citizen



Joseph Mattam, Emeritus Professor



Reetika Khera, IIM Ahmedabad



Payal Ganga, Student



Salim Hafezi, Concerned Citizen



Terrin Manjila, Student



Navnath Baliram Sonwane, Student



Prof Mehboob Desai 



Nikhil Sharma, Teacher



Rajan, Business Owner



Ayush Patel, Student



Sneha Jain, Student



Renu Khanna, Development Professional



Stalin K., Concerned Citizen



Uttam Parmar, Activist 



Vishal Rajput, Student



Sulekha, Student



Rafi Malek, Activist



Anurag Shukla, Doctoral Student, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad



Farooq Abdulgafar Bawani, Freelancer 



Utpal Anish, Research Scholar, Gujarat Vidyapith



Malek Atik, Student



Akki, Student 



Sameer Yadav, Academic Associate, Anant National University



Simran Mulchandani, Student



Raghavan Rangarajan, Professor



Viral Shankarbhai Konkani, Social Worker, Adivasi Ekta Parishad



Karthik Rao Cavale, Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University



Manas Kandi, Research Scholar, Central University of Gujarat



Jay Patel, Student



Svati Joshi, Academic, Activist



Hiren Patel, Concerned Citizen



Harsh Kinger, Student, MSU



 



In India (outside Gujarat)



Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist, Anhad



Sathya S, Consultant and Activist



Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Public Health Doctor



Jimmy Regina C. Dabhim, Navsarjan, Xavier's Cell for Human Development



Saravanan V, MPhil Scholar, Delhi



K. M. Shrimali, Former Professor of History, Delhi University



Kamayani Swami, Concerned Citizen



CB Choudhary, Activist, Samajwadi Jan Parishad



Anand Teltumbde, Teacher, Goa Institute of Management



Jagmohan Singh, Activist, General Secretary Association For Democratic Rights (Punjab)



Tushar Parmar Marxpriya, Communist Party of India (RP)



Mohd Abuzar , Activist, Anhad



Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, Public Health Doctor and Researcher



Dr. Batul Hamid, Principal, Viva College of Law



Manjusha Bhagade, Lawyer



Dr. Swati Lavand, Professor, Sardar Patel College of Engineering



Runu Chakraborty, Activist



Prasad Chacko, Social Worker



Bindu A Karedan, Concerned Citizen



Owais Afzal Khan, Indian National Congress Volunteer



Laboni Singh, Activist



Shanmuga Pillai, Concerned Citizen



Chinmoyee Roy Chowdhury, Concerned Citizen



Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Insurance Advisor, Atheist Republic Kolkata Consulate



Arun Prasad Sinha, Activist



Balaji Gurude, Farmer 



Dr. Dev, Shayar, Writer, Teacher



Akash Debnath, Concerned Citizen



Dr. Manchala Gangadhar, Chief Editor, Democratic Teachers' Federation



Amar Nath Parcha, Activist



Ritesh Nath Tiwari, Concerned Citizen



Amitabha Basu, Retired Scientist



Jasvir Singh Arora, Concerned Citizen



Dimple Oberoi Vahali, Concerned Citizen



Atul Mhase, Software Professional



CMRB India, Consultant



Rachana Desai, Homemaker



Harishchandra, Activist, Anhad



Sokat Malik, Social Worker



Saify Saraiya, Life and Wellness Coach, ZVM



Monalisa, Professional



Armaan, Concerned Citizen



Talaha Nandoliya, Civil Engineer



Dr. Shaheen Ansari, Program Coordinator, Arkitect India



Sujata Patel, National Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study



Nazim Shekh, Senior Citizen 



Vimal Bhanot, Retired Professor



Bharat Chitale, Advocate



Amrita, Researcher, Wildlife Institute Of India



Antonio Jose F.X. Colaco, Retired Banker



Teesta Setalvad, CJP



Chitransh Saxena, President, Padbank



D. Parthasarathy, Teacher



Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Activist



Jitendra, Student 



Mahesh Kumar, Freelance Journalist



Sudhir Chopra, Retired Joint Director 



Asha D'Souza, Consultant on Development and Labour Rights



Amit Bhaduri, Professor Emeritus, JNU



Ranjeet Kindo, Director, Tribal Research and Training Centre



Tapan Bose, Filmmaker, Writer & Human Rights Defender



Dr. Lubna Sarwath, Telangana State General Secretary, Socialist Party(India)



Arun Kumar, Concerned Citizen



Ms. Rahman, Professor



Harshit Mitruka, Concerned Citizen



Hussain A Babat, Compliance Officer, IMS



Ritik Raj, Student, Law College Dehradun



Prakash Louis, Teacher



Ameer, Concerned Citizen



Arvind Sivaramakrishnan, Teacher



Madhu Bhaduri, Retired Ambassador Of India



Kalpana Kannabiran, Concerned Citizen



Tehzeema, Concerned Citizen



Irfan Engineer, Concerned Citizen



Faraz Ahmad, Freelance Journalist



Asha Ahmad, Retired Ophthalmologist



G. Thiraviyam, Concerned Citizen



Subhasis Bandyopadhyay, Faculty, Iiest, Shibpur



Pamela Philipose, Journalist, Public Editor, The Wire



Sannybhai, Activist



R. Govinda, Professor, Council For Social Development



Bianca, Concerned Citizen



Appanasamy, Journalist



Ram Naresh Jha, Retired School Teacher, PUCL



E. Donald Xavier, Director, Green India Foundational Trust



Nidhi, Concerned Citizen



Abhinav Jain, Co-founder, Oye24



P. Kerketta, Activist



Anjali Noronha, Concerned Citizen



George K., Concerned Citizen



Preeti, Development Worker



Sr. Sudha, Social Worker, Arpanam Trust



Samuel Asir Raj S., Professor



 



International



Arul Anthony, Australia 



Malik Malik, Data Analyst, United States 



Nikeeta Shah, Student, United States 



Rishi Doshi, Doctor, United States 



Pooja Doshi, Physical Therapist, United States 



Fatima Hassan, Student, United States 



Elle Davidson, Student, United States



Aaron Dickinson, United States



Heena Shah, Physician, United States



Arul Pandian, Australia



Apurva Shah, Physician, United States



Samir Shah, Student, United States



Ghazia Shamim, Student, Canada



Nagarajan V., Student (Studying Abroad), Germany



Saifuddin Mohd, Activist, United States 



Tina, Attorney, United States 



Neel Doshi, Physician, United States 



Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Sr. Research Fellow, Centre for Modern Indian Studies, Germany



Zeelan Bahsha, Accountant, UAE



Rimsha Chaudhry, Student, United States



Prof. Ismail Poonawala, Professor Emeritus UCLA, United States



Rao Rampilla, Actor, United States



Stephen Perenara Marr, Maori, Councilor Local Government, New Zealand



Shaukat Ajmeri, Canada



Sarah Kuo, Environmental Scientist, United States

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