The national general assembly of the Popular Front of India (PFI) has demanded that the Centre repeal repressive laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which are reportedly used against Muslims, Dalits and marginalised sections of the society.
Briefing mediapersons on resolutions adopted at the three-day assembly, PFI chairman E. Aboobacker said the misuse of the UAPA was rampant in many States including Kerala, and the law was being employed to harass even religious leaders. The new provisions were used to suppress legitimate political dissent, he added.
Deploring the alleged fake encounters at Malkangiri, Bhopal and Nilambur, he said the killings were extra judicial methods to suppress legitimate struggles of the people and also to create fear among the poor, marginalised and deprived sections. The meeting called for the enactment of a special law for immediate prosecution of and disciplinary action against erring officers in encounter cases.
The assembly passed a resolution against stray attacks on Muslims and Dalits in the name of ‘Gau Raksha’, vigilante surveillance of minority institutions, communal riots in select cities, continuous persecution of minorities and tribals, State sponsored killings in mineral rich States.
Mr. Aboobacker also condemned the move of the BJP-led Union government to conduct elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies concurrently on the contention that it would reduce election expenditure. However, the proposal was a “sugar-coated” attempt to undermine federalism and parliamentary democracy in the country. It was a clever ploy to introduce executive presidency projecting one man or party as saviours of the people.
Mr. Aboobacker said the exclusion of the Muslim community from the domain of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 was against constitutional provisions preventing discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and language.
