Massive protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act swept the nation. (Reuters)
Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Aparna Sen today said there should be an independent judicial probe into the violence against anti-Citizenship Act protesters in Uttar Pradesh while adding that they don't support any form of vandalism.
A letter -- signed by filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Aparna Sen and Alankrita Shrivastava as well as actors Kubbra Sait, Mallika Dua, Konkona Sen-Sharma, Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhasker -- urged Indian courts "to take suo motu cognizance of what has ensued in UP and request that a judicial inquiry be instituted into the loss of life and limb and damage to property".
The appeal to courts was read out at a press conference in New Delhi by Swara Bhasker and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.
Stating that they "do not endorse or support any form of violence or vandalism", the group said the "sacred right" of citizens to protest peacefully had been violated in the state.
"The CAA itself, as a legislation, has sparked contrasting views. But irrespective of one's views on the merits of the law, there is something more fundamental that all of us agree on: the right of citizens to protest peacefully, the duty of the state to respond proportionately and the ultimate role of courts in determining guilt and punishment."
The signatories to the letter said they believe that all these principles have been undermined in Uttar Pradesh, largely because of the excesses of the government.
"The fundamental rights to life and liberty, free speech, free movement, and association are also under great jeopardy in the state," the letter read.
The signatories said they were "deeply disturbed" by the scale of deaths in the state, reportedly due to police firing and the excessive use of force, which, they believe, is largely targeted at one community.
"...Media reports refer to 18 deaths in UP, mostly due to bullet injuries...There is reason to believe that the procedure was not followed," the letter stated, adding that the administration was not following prescribed standard operating procedures while dealing with protests.
The letter also criticised the political leadership and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for issuing "inflammatory statements and using rhetoric that goes beyond the law, which has given way for the police to unleash excessive force on citizens and deliberately damage citizen property in a selective manner".