The Prime Minister in his speech during the campaign for Delhi Assembly elections from the Ram Lila ground claimed that there are no Detention Centres in the country because of the pressure created due to nationwide protests against Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register. The Socialist Party (India) organized a yatra from Delhi to Gwalpara, Assam in February-March 2020 to verify PM’s claim. The yatra was prevented from entering Assam at the West Bengal-Assam border. The Gwalpara District Magistrate issued a written order prohibiting any demonstration outside the ‘under construction Detention Centre.’ Hence it was clear the Detention Centre was being built. Why did Narendra Modi have to lie? We took a position at the time that to prove the PM right the detention centre should be converted into a school or a hospital.
Of course, that didn’t happen and now something opposite has happened in Uttar Pradesh. An Ambedkar Hostel in Ghaziabad has been converted into a Detention Centre. We condemn this decision of government. The government should have been building more Ambedkar hostels. If the Ambedkar hostal in question was not being used the government should have made an attempt to ensure that Dalit girls came and stayed here. Instead of feeling ashamed of its ineptness in using the hostel for its intended purpose, the government is using its remaining unused as a pretext for converting it into a detention centre.This also reflects the anti-Dalit mindset of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.
Foreigners staying illegally in India and persons who’ll be left out of NRC will be detained here. If somebody who has lived all her/his life here is unable to prove their citizenship and are sent to detention centre what will be their status when they come out? Obviously such persons cannot be kept in jail for life long because even the life term is not for entire life. This is an example of the illogical thinking that dominates the BJP government and clearly instead of working for the welfare of people it is busy implementing/furthering its arbitrary ruthless power control with a divisive agenda. Though it will not be practical to send all Muslims who are unable to prove their citizenship to detention centres, the existence of these centres will keep Muslims perpetually under threat and in a state of fear.
Rajeev Yadav, People’s Politics Front, Uttar Pradesh, 9452800752
Ajit Singh Yadav, Lok Morcha, UP, 7017828481
Lubna Sarwath, General Secretary, Socialist Party (India), Telangana, 9963002403
Shreekumar, People’s Politics Front, Karnataka, 9480346081
I.D. Khajuria, J&K Forum for Territorial Integrity, J&K, 9419152093
Prafulla Samantara, Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Odisha, 9437259005
Sandeep Pandey, Vice President, Socialist Party (India), UP, 0522 2355978
