India: False charges against activists and writers in Assam regarding a poem on NRC
Event- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jul 10, 2019
- Event Description
Recently a poem named "Miya Poetry" went viral in social media which is being circulated widelywithin and outside Assam. Above mentioned human rights defenders, activists, writers, scholars and journalist also had posted and discussed on the poem in their social media accounts. The lyrics of the poetry are as follows "Write down I am a Miya My serial number in NRC is 20,543 I have two children Another is coming next summer Will you hate him as you hate me Write, Write down I am a Miya A citizen of a democratic secular republic without any right My mother is a D voter Though her parents are Indian Write, Write I am a Miya of the Brahmaputra Your torture has burnt my body black Reddened my eyes with fire3 Write, I am a miya The land makes my father an alien That kills my brother with bullets My sister with gang-rape The land where my mother stokes in heart live burning coals" Details of the Incident: On 10 July 2019, a complaint was filed at Pan Bazar police station, Guwahati by one Mr. Pranabjit Doloi and was registered as a First Information Report in Case No. 479/19 under Section 120 (B), 153 (A), 295 (A) 188 of Indian Penal Code read with Section 66 of Information Technology Act against the above-mentioned human rights defenders, activists, writers, scholars and journalist. After filing of FIR, a group of people have started threatening, Ms. Rehana Sultana and Ms. Karishma Hazarikan with sexual remarks, threat of rape and life on their social media accounts. The poem written by Kazi Sharowar Hussain expresses the experience on the present status and life experience of the people who are harassed in the NRC (National Register of Citizens) process in Assam.The poem is been wrongly interpreted by the complainant and falsely accused the above-mentioned human rights defenders, activists, writers, scholars and journalists for posing serious threat to the national security of the country.Hence the action of the police in filing false complaints as First Information Report (FIR) and threatening of human rights defenders, activists, writers, scholars and journalist of their life, liberty and body is entirely condemnable and therefore requires immediate intervention. Given the background, it is evident that the above said people in question are being targeted for their rights based work towards defending the human rights of the minorities in Assam. More so propaganda has been launched against the activists which is further accentuated by the insinuating FIR that has been filed by the police.In response to the complaint which is the basis of the FIR, it is stated that the action of the activists throughMiya poetry is just to express their protest against the present process of NRC and the widespread discrimination displayed by the State through its application on minorities
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Death threat
- Intimidation and Threats
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 20.593683
Longitude: 78.962883
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 10 July 2019, several defenders had an FIR filed against them for their role in writing and circulating a poem that explores the life experience of the people who are harassed in the National Register of Citizens process in Assam. Several of the defenders have also received threats to their life, threats of rape and other sexual assault.