To
Smt. Rabri Devi,
The Chief Minister of Bihar,
Government of Bihar.
Dear Madam,
We are concerned about the increasing violation of democratic rights in the country and we are shocked to find that 4 students in Bihar have been charged with sedition merely for showing black flags to Deputy Prime Minister, LK Advani. On 16th August, when Shri Advani visited Darbhanga, these 4 students (Kesri Kumar Yadav, Ranjeet Ram, Sonu Yadav and Santosh Anand Yadav) along with other students showed him black flags and shouted slogans of “The Accused in Babri Masjid Demolition, LK Advani Go Back”. They were arrested after a brutal lathi-charge and since then, remain in jail, charged with sedition and conspiracy under section 124 A and 120A.
In colonial rule, our freedom fighters, who showed black flags were charged with sedition but in the history of democratic India, several political leaders have had to face the black flag. During Emergency many students showed black flags to Indira Gandhi , but probably never has anyone been charged with sedition for doing so. It is odd that your government upholds secularism by keeping Praveen Togadia and Giriraj Kishore out of Bihar but on the same day, your Darbhanga district administration jails students under ‘sedition’ for protesting against the visit of another member of the same communal Sangh Parivar, Shri Advani.
We are disturbed to note the increasing trend of invoking sedition to suppress democratic protest. In Delhi in 2001, students distributing leaflets against US war on Afghanistan were charged with sedition. In Haryana, protesting farmers have also been charged with sedition. And now, students in your state are in jail for sedition simply for exercising their democratic right to protest. This trend of branding voices of protest as 'anti-national' or 'seditious' is actually the worst possible insult to our nation and the worst betrayal of India's democracy. We appeal to your government, to heed the voice of democracy and immediately withdraw all charges of sedition against these 4 students and release them from jail.
Yours sincerely,