We, the undersigned scholars based in Aotearoa New Zealand universities, express our deep concern at the ongoing police violence and brutality being deployed across India in response to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 which the United Nations Human Rights Office has called ‘fundamentally discriminatory in nature’.
This statement demonstrates solidarity with the protesters, some of whom are students and academic staff of universities in India.
It is important that a democratic, secular nation like India allows space for citizen voices to be heard without fear of reprisals. Dissent is integral to a democracy. We want the Indian government to enable democratic processes to continue in India.
We focus on three key sites wherein our concerns lie:
Targeted attacks on public university students and staff
While targeting and violating the human rights of protesters across the country, there has been a particular targeting of students and academics by state police and authorities. This targeting of universities started with the first planned police attack on Jamia Milia University in Delhi on December 18th, where the students were undertaking peaceful protests against the CAA. The police then attacked the students and staff protesting at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The Delhi police, which is directly under the Home Minister’s jurisdiction, was complicit in violence against protesting students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The attack was reported to be undertaken by masked goons from the Hindu student wing and resulted in the injury of over 23 students, including the JNUSU president – Ms. Aishee Ghosh. No police investigation resulting in any arrest has occurred so far. Most recently, students have been beaten up by masked goons at Viswa Bharati University in Santiniketan on January 15th.
Police brutality and lack of space for democratic dissent
This brutal attack on democratic right to protest is visible across the country, but most brutally enacted by the police forces in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Delhi. The police have fired bullets and struck blows with lathis against peaceful protesters. They have teargassed students and shot dead protesters in various parts of the country. Students, scholars, and activists provide accounts of molestation, beatings, and detention by the police. In several cities, including Delhi, Guwahati, and Dibrugarh the Government has invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and denied the right to protest. Government suppression of protest and dissent has included the destruction of the homes and property of innocent Muslims in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the majority of the killings have taken place. As the days go by, these instances have intensified.
Human right violations in Kashmir and Northeast India
Finally, we are concerned about the ongoing lockdown in Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370. Although internet connection has now been partially resumed following Supreme Court instructions, we note with alarm that the internet blackout for 150 days has been the longest in the history of a democracy. This has been followed by selective communication blackouts in other parts of the country where protests have been planned. We are also concerned about the ongoing state of violence across Northeast India, relating to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.
We express our solidarity with the students, academics, protesters and civilians affected by these government actions and express our solidarity with those who are exercising their democratic right to express dissent and protest to defend their rights, the rights of others and the idea of India.
We call upon the Government of India to:
immediately put an end to this violence and investigate all reported cases of police excesses
take action against the masked goons who have been beating up students in
university campuses
allow individuals to protest peacefully and exercise their Fundamental Rights under
the Indian Constitution
pay attention to the citizens of India and address their concerns
restore full internet connection and access to basic human rights in Kashmir, the Northeast, and in any areas where protesters gather.
Names and Signatures from concerned scholars in/of/from Aotearoa New Zealand:
Dr Nayantara Sheoran Appleton
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Science in Society, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
Professor of Asian History (Retired), Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Sita Venkateswar
School of People, Environment & Planning, Massey University
Hannah Gibson
PhD Candidate, School of Social and Cultural Studies,Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Courtney Addison
Lecturer, Centre for Science in Society, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Stephen Epstein
School of Languages and Cultures, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Mythily Meher
Research Fellow, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland
Dr Jaikishan Desai
Senior Lecturer, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Grant Otsuki
Lecturer, Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Gerard Prinsen
Senior Lecturer, School of People, Environment & Planning, Massey University
Dr Caroline Bennett
Lecturer, Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Matthew Wynyard
Lecturer, Sociology, Massey University
Professor Priya Kurian
Professor, Political Science & Public Policy, University of Waikato
Professor Debashish Munshi
Professor, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato
Associate Professor Paola Voci
Chinese and Asian Studies, University of Otago
Dr Chia-rong Wu
Senior Lecturer of Chinese Studies, University of Canterbury
Dr Sian Halcrow
Associate Professor in Biological Anthropology, University of Otago
Associate Professor Sharyn Davies
Social Sciences, Auckland University of Technology
Professor Brian Moloughney
History, University of Otago
Dr Lorena Gibson
Senior Lecturer, Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Jagadish Thaker
Senior Lecturer, School of Communication, Journalism & Marketing, Massey University
Professor Emeritus Srikanta Chatterjee
Massey University, Palmerston North
Dr Edwina Palmer
Retired, formerly Associate Professor, School of Languages and Cultures, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Catherine Abou-Nemeh
Lecturer in Early Modern History, History, Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Daniel K Brown
Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Kenneth M Wells
Adjunct, History, University of Canterbury
Dr Nancy Earth
Independent Scholar
Dr Dylan Taylor
Lecturer, Sociology, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Rachel Simon-Kumar
School of Population Health, The University of Auckland
Dr Liam Martin
Lecturer, Institute of Criminology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Janine Cook
School of English & Media Studies, Massey University
Dr Eli Elinoff
Senior Lecturer, Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Emalani Case
Lecturer, Pacific Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Jane Buckingham
HIstory, University of Canterbury
Dr Susan Bouterey
Senior Lecturer, Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies, University of Canterbury
Associate Professor Jacqueline Leckie
Stout Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Arindam Basu
School of Health Sciences, University of Canterbury
Professor Charlotte Macdonald
HIstory, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Manjeet S. Pardesi
Senior Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Douglas Hill
Development Studies and Geography, University of Otago
Dr Rosemary Haddon
(retired) Senior Lecturer and Chinese Programme Coordinator, Massey University
Associate Professor Rick Weiss
Religious Studies Programme, Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Mark Mullins
Japanese Studies & Religious Studies, University of Auckland
Dr Maria Borovnik
Senior Lecturer, Development Studies, Massey University
Professor Mohan J Dutta
Dean’s Chair Professor, Communication, Journalism, & Marketing, Massey University
Dr Jennifer de Saxe
Senior Lecturer, Sociology and Social Policy, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Sharon Bell
Lecturer, Development Studies, Massey University
Dr Malcolm McKinnon
School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Graeme MacRae
Senior Lecturer, Anthropology. Massey University.
Dr Megan Evans
Senior Lecturer, Theatre, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Cadey Korson
Lecturer, Geography, Massey University
Sneha Pal
PhD Candidate, Department of History, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Trisia Farrelly
Senior Lecturer, Social Anthropology, Massey University
Tarapuhi Vaeau
Lecturer, Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Graeme Whimp
Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Social and Cultural Studies Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Piers Locke
Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of Canterbury
Professor Brigitte Bönisch-Brednich
Cultural Anthropology, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Jesse Hession Grayman
Senior Lecturer, Development Studies, University of Auckland
Dr Barbara Andersen
Lecturer, Social Anthropology, Massey University
Dr Roger McEwan
Senior Lecturer, Massey University
Professor Ruth Fitzgerald
Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Otago
Dr Michael Goldsmith
Honorary Fellow & former Assoc Professor of Anthropology, University of Waikato
Dr Ruth Gibbons
Lecturer, Social Anthropology, PEP, Massey University
Dr Molly George
Research Fellow, University of Otago
Dr April K. Henderson
Senior Lecturer, Pacific Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Patricia Berwick
Formerly Assistant Professor, University of Dubai. Independent academic
Dr Susan Wardell
Lecturer, Social Anthropology, University of Otago
Dr Tim Corballis
Lecturer, Science in Society, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Dolores Janiewski
Associate Professor, History, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Sayeeda Bano
Senior Lecturer, Economics, Waikato Management School, The University of Waikato
Sucharita Sen
PhD Student, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Priyanka Roy
PhD Candidate, School of English, Film, Theatre, Media Studies, and Art History, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Kevin Dew
Professor of Sociology, Victoria University of Wellington
Duncan Campbell
School of Languages and Cultures, Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor Vijay Devadas
Auckland University of Technology
Jim McAloon
Professor of History, Victoria University of Wellington.
