CHENNAI : Pointing out 30 activists who raised their voice against government policies were arrested from April- June across the country, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, D Hariparanthaman on Saturday said as per the National Human Rights Commission one activist is arrested once in three days.
Speaking during the inaugural session of the State conference on ‘Shrinking democratic space and growing State repression” organised by PUCL he alleged that the police department was becoming a replica of the military.
Police continue to detain people under preventive detention which in most cases was a violation of fundamental rights. Most of the detained are activists. By imprisoning people for raising their voice against injustice, the political establishments at the national and State levels have revealed their insecurity, he said.
At the session, members pointed out that in the State non-party and non-violent protest against dispossession, environmental degradation and cultural enclosure had faced a repressive climate since Koodankulam in 2011.