A CALL TO LAUNCH STRUGGLE
AGAINST MORE DRACONIAN AMENDED UAPA
DEMAND COMPLETE REPEAL OF UAPA
Lok Morcha Punjab strongly condemns
the enactment of Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act-2012, making the UAPA-1967
more repressive, sinister & draconian. Under the provisions of amending
Act, which has been passed without any worthwhile debate in the Lok Sabha or
Rajya Sabha, the following anti-people features have been added to it :-
v
The
definition of “terrorist act” has been broadened to bring in its sphere the
peoples activities and struggles against anti-people, anti-national &
pro-imperialist neo-liberal economic policies, by including “economic security”
in S.15 of the principal Act and terming any act threatening it as a “terrorist
act”. To our rulers, those who are looting the national exchequer through
corrupt & dubious means; who are indulging in black-marketeering,
profiteering, hoarding, multi-crore scams, accumulating black-money; selling
coal-blocks, oil-fields, telecom spectrum, mines and minerals etc to MNCs and
their Indian agents for a pittance, do not pose any threat to the “economic
security” of this country. But people
struggling to oppose land acquisition for big projects; demanding better wages
and security of service for industrial workers; remunerative prices for farm
produce; land, forest & fishing rights for the poor; opposing
casualisation, contractualisation & outsourcing in industry & Govt
jobs; are now to be charged with threatening “economic security” of India and
thus indulging in “terrorist act”, punishable under the UAPA.
v
The
sweep and potential for mischief and misuse of the UAPA, has been greatly
enhance by altering the definition of “person”. Now a family, a company, a
firm, an association of persons or body of individuals – whether incorporated
or not, every artificial juridical person, any agency, office or branch owned
or controlled by any of the above have been included in the definition of ‘person’,
thus broadening the deadly sweep of this draconian Act. Now even discussions
amongst family members, loose groups of individuals, groups of people on
Face-book, Twitter or other social-sites, can be found posing danger to the ‘unity,
integrity, security, economic security & sovereignty of India' and these
can be branded as “unlawful” or “terrorist organizations” under the amended
UAPA and subjected to ban & criminal proceedings.
v
The
period for which the ban on any organization dubbed as “unlawful” has been extended
from 2 to 5 years by amending Section 6 of the principal Act.
v
With
this amended Act, India has formally joined the imperialist initiated “war on
terror”, which in fact is a war by overt or covert means to plunder the natural
resources and national wealth of the poor and under-developed countries. Offenses mentioned under various treaties/ conventions, imposed by imperialist
countries under the leadership of USA to protect their Civil Aviation, maritime
navigation, Fixed Platforms located on the continental Shelf, nuclear
installations, diplomatic personnel etc., have also been made offense under the
UAPA by inserting Section 15(2) and the Second Schedule in the principal Act.
The Central Govt has been authorized to add
new treatises to this schedule through notification. With the increased control
of corporates over the Govt and the “Economic Security” already having been
given pre-eminent position, treaties protecting foreign investment, assets and
plunder by MNCs may also find place in the Second Schedule.
v By
amending S.17 of the principal Act, participating, organizing or directing in
raising or collecting or providing funds in any manner “for the benefit of, or,
to an individual terrorist”, terrorist gang or terrorist organization for any
purpose, has been made an offense under this Act. Thus even providing
humanitarian, medical or legal aid to anyone accused of “unlawful activities”
or “terrorist act,” has become an offense. Similarly, in case of false
implication under UAPA, anyone espousing the cause of victims, can be accused
of providing funds for the benefit of a terrorist and hauled up in jail.
v
Provisions
regarding forfeiture of properties of the persons accused of ‘unlawful
activities’ or ‘terrorist acts’ have been made more stringent. Now the courts
have been invested with the powers to forfeit the properties of such persons,
even in cases where the trial is not completed due to death of such persons.
The proceedings against them shall not abate on their death.
The amending Act has
been passed at a time when democratic rights organizations and vast sections of
the Indian people are demanding repeal of such black-laws, as Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA), U.A.P.A, Section 124-A IPC (Sedition), Section 121 IPC
(Waging war against the Govt) etc. It
exposes the autocratic, undemocratic, repressive and anti-people character of
our rulers. We have seen from our experience that these black-laws have been
used to suppress peoples’ movements against repression & exploitation; to
crush their struggles for protecting country’s natural resources from
imperialist plunder. All the struggling sections of the people should come
forward to oppose and defeat these black-laws.
JAGMEL SINGH General Secretary
GURDIAL SINGH BHANGAL President
N.K.JEET Advisor
LOK MORCHA PUNJAB
LOK MORCHA PUNJAB
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