File photo of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba.
Outside the Maharashtra Sadan complex in the capital, around 50 students from both Delhi University and JNU joined professors in their protest against the Maharashtra police for arresting Professor GN Saibaba. The DU English professor has been sent for a fortnight in judicial custody by a local court in Aheri, Gadchiroli, a naxal-affected district in Maharashtra.
Professor Saibaba was picked up from Delhi and taken on transit remand to Gadchiroli on Friday evening. His family has alleged that they received no official communication from the police on his arrest and called it a case of illegal abduction on trumped up charges.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra police has accused the professor of links with the CPI (Maoist), a banned outfit. He has been slapped with charges under different sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly being in touch with CPI (Moaist) leader Ganapathy, and being in the know of the Maoists' overt and covert operations.
Professor Saibaba has been questioned by the police at least four times in the past six months. While police claim they have enough evidence against him, his family and friends claim that the charges are fabricated and false.
Professor Nirmalangshu Mukherji who was part of the protest told NDTV, "Nothing can be more ridiculous. It is just a ploy to harass anyone who is protesting against the state, about the loot of minerals, about repression of adivasis. The protest is about complete violation of law by the police, completely illegal detention of Saibaba, the danger to his health and the danger to democratic rights of people. It has nothing to do with Maoists and maoism."
A member of the Progressive Women's group, Poonam said, "He is a paraplegic and we are extremely worried about his health. This (arrest) is nothing but an attempt to muzzle voices of dissent in society."
Prasanta Chakravarty, associate professor at Delhi University's English department, who has worked with Professor Saibaba says he joined the protest in solidarity.
The police also claim that a man called Hemant Mishra, who was recently arrested from Gadchiroli allegedly told them that he was the conduit between Ganapathy and Professor Saibaba. Protesters shouted slogans against the state government and also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister to seek his release.