NewDelhi: A group of former civil servants has written an open letter condemning the ‘complete breakdown’ of governance and blatant violation of the rule of law in Uttar Pradesh, saying the Yogi Adityanath government has “ushered in a model of governance which swerves further and further away from the values of the constitution and the rule of law with each passing day”.
The statement by Constitutional Conduct Group, supported by several other concerned eminent citizens, said that clear that all branches of the administration in UP, including the executive magistrates and the police, have “collapsed”.
“We fear that, unless checked now, the damage to the polity and institutions in the state will result in the decay and destruction of democracy itself,” said the signatories, who have no political affiliations but are “committed to the constitution of India”.
They say that detentions, criminal charges and recovery orders have become common methods to suppress the right to dissent, mentioning among other things the arrest of journalist Siddque Kappan. Other developments which cause concern are rampant ‘encounter killings’, the so-called love jihad law, misuse of the National Security Act and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, the signatories say.
“We fear that, unless checked now, the damage to the polity and institutions in the state will result in the decay and destruction of democracy itself,” the statement says.
They suggest measures which would reverse the administration’s trajectory. Among the prominent former civil servants who have signed the statement are Najeeb Jung, Harsh Mander, Shivshankar Menon, Aruna Roy, Julio Ribeiro, Jawhar Sircar, while it is supported by Justice (Retired) A.P. Shah and more than 200 other signatories who are not members of the Constitutional Conduct Group.
The full statement and list of signatories have been republished below.
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OPEN LETTER ON COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF GOVERNANCE AND BLATANT VIOLATION OF THE RULE OF LAW IN UTTAR PRADESH
We are a group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services who have worked for decades with the Central and State Governments. As a group, we have no affiliation with any political party but are committed to the Constitution of India.
We write today to convey to the Government of India and the Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), as also to the people of India, our deep anguish at what we see happening in UP. We note with mounting alarm that the present ruling regime in UP has ushered in a model of governance which swerves further and further away from the values of the Constitution and the rule of law with each passing day. It seems clear that all branches of the administration, including the executive magistrates and the police, have collapsed. We fear that, unless checked now, the damage to the polity and institutions in the state will result in the decay and destruction of democracy itself.
- Detentions, criminal charges, and recoveries to suppress dissent have become common instruments to be employed against all those who exercise their right of democratic protest. Even as peaceful protests broke out countrywide against CAA, NRC and NPR, the UP government stood out by responding almost immediately with an armoury of repression, including a) police attacks on peacefully protesting students in Aligarh Muslim University, including using stun grenades, normally deployed against terrorists, and tear gas shells; b) filing 10,900 FIRs against protestors; c) resort to police firing killing 22 people; d) arrest of 705 people on charges of rioting, property destruction and attempt to murder; e) investigating 13000 social media posts and filing 63 FIRs with arrests of 103 netizens; f) detention and torture of 41 minors; g) serving over 500 notices for alleged damage to property, and notices served for recovery to 57 persons; h) erecting hoardings in Lucknow displaying photographs of activists and civil society members accused of instigating violence and damaging public property (The Allahabad High Court declared this to be undemocratic and admonished the state government); i) passage of the Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020which empowers the state to set up a claims tribunal to recover compensation from citizens, not requiring the presence of the accused before passing final orders. (The Allahabad High Court observed the “ordinance is arbitrary”, designed only to frustrate the law and stayed orders in several cases of recovery. However, the UP legislature approved the conversion of the Ordinance into an Act without removing the flaw of arbitrariness.)
One particularly egregious example is the arrest of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, on his way to the UP town of Hathras to report on the brutal gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalit girl and the complicity of the administration in the hurried overnight cremation of her body that had caused national outrage. Kappan has so far spent more than 200 days in prison. More recently, these repressive measures have taken the form of punitive actions against those highlighting lethal shortcomings in UP’s healthcare system.
- Encounter injuries and killings as official hate targeting
From 2017 to 2020, 124 alleged criminals were shot dead in 6,476 “encounters”, according to datacompiled and released by the UP police to the media. The word “encounters” has been used to also include the infliction of serious injuries caused, for example, by shooting a person in both knees and leaving him disabled for life. This means a police “encounter” every five hours every day during the first three years of CM Adityanath’s tenure. In a January 2019 letter to district magistrates, the Chief Secretary listed these “encounters” including extra-judicial killings to be among the prominent “achievements” of the Adityanath administration. The “encounter” campaign led by Adityanath crosses new lines, because data shows that most of those killed in these encounters are either petty criminals or innocents,against whom no charge has been proven. They are also predominantly Muslims, Dalits and other backward castes. . The fact that a significantly disproportionate percentage of those killed till August 2020 were Muslims carries its own message.
- Institutionalization and legitimization of vigilantism with the phenomenon of ‘police mitr’ etc.
UP has seen a systematic blurring of the lines between actions of the state, particularly its police force, and that of vigilante groups such as the Hindu Yuva Vahini and other ‘cow vigilante’ groups that have enjoyed immunity for their violent actions. Members of these groups are appointed as “police mitr” or friends of the police, endowing them with authority and legitimacy, and enabling the police to work openly with vigilante groups. Recent administrative orders further institutionalise vigilantism under the garb of community policing through the ‘Prantiya Rakshak Dal’ and the ‘S10’.
- The law on what is termed as ‘love jihad’, and biased investigations and arrests
On 24 November 2020, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet passed an ordinance “Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance”. On 25 February 2021, this was passed in the legislature by a voice vote. The SIT set up by the state government to look into the cases of “love jihad” could find “no evidence of foreign funding or organised conspiracy”. On another occasion, the Union home ministry in February told Parliament that “love jihad” was not defined under the current laws of the country. The bogey of “love jihad”, thus has no empirical, legal or official standing.
Euphemistically against ‘forceful conversion’, the law prohibits conversion from one religion to another by what it calls the use of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, fraud or marriage. These are defined ambiguously leaving ample space for the police and administration to misuse the law against minorities; for the police to file arbitrary cases; and for vigilante groups to threaten families, assault minorities, organise mobs and create conditions for minority exodus.
This law has been used by the state to frame innocent Muslim men who have friendly or romantic relations, or enter into marriage, with Hindu women. In just a month after the Ordinance, 86 people were booked in 16 cases alleging conversion for love or marriage among Hindu women and Muslim men. 54 people were arrested, including friends and family members of the main accused. The key accused in all the cases are Muslim men.
Since coming to power, the bias of the present government of UP against Muslims has been open and uninhibited. The recent instance of the destruction of a building allegedly housing a mosque in Barabanki, in contravention of a high court stay order, is a flagrant display of disregard for law and procedures. Further, keeping in mind the forthcoming elections, we apprehend that such actions by the UP government, if not controlled, may cause communal polarisation and disturbances.
- Misuse of NSA in the name of cow slaughter and against dissenters
The National Security Act, 1980 (NSA) is a draconian preventive detention law under which the government can pre-emptively detain, up to one year, anyone it thinks is a threat to the security of the country or state, public order or maintenance of supplies and services essential to the community.
However, officials under the UP government have been using the law openly against mainly Muslims, Dalits and dissenters, for alleged offences that cannot be seen as a threat to national security. As per reports, of the 139 people booked under the law the year 2020, 76 are for alleged cow slaughter, 13 for anti-CAA protests and 37 for alleged heinous crimes. In 2017, the Director General of Police directed SPs and SSPs of all districts to book people accused of cow slaughter or transportation of cows for slaughter under NSA and the Gangster Act. In April 2020,the government said that whoever attacks police personnel during the COVID-19 lockdown will be booked under NSA. These blanket orders to apply NSA defeat the purpose of letting District Magistrates, who understand the ground situation, to judiciously apply their judgment to each case.
- Handling of the Covid crisis
The hubris customary with the UP government, is also in full display in its handling of the Covid crisis. The Allahabad High Court scathingly observed that medical services in UP are running at god’s mercy. (Ram Bharose). The doctors trying to meet the Chief Minister to explain the ground situation and to present a set of demands were instead detained. A news article on health services in rural UP was titled, ‘People are Dropping Dead like Flies in Uttar Pradesh Villages’. As a case in point,Dhanoli village in Gorakhpur District did not have a single house without a Covid patient. Many of the PHCs in villages are shut or do not have any medical personnel. The people are left to fend for themselves. There are no testing centres available. Reports of patients dying due to non-availability of oxygen have been frequent in UP.
The Chief Minister however claimed that not only was there no such shortage, but those alleging this on public forums would be arrested for spreading false information, and their properties seized. The police proceeded to frame charges against hospitals which claimed oxygen shortage.
People faced massive difficulties in getting tested for Covid. Reports emerged that ‘unofficial’ orders had been issued to private labs to stop testing.
The most damning illustration of the government’s failure to provide healthcare to Covid patients was the gruesome spectacle of several thousand dead bodies floating in the Ganga river and buried in shallow graves in the sands along its banks. The world bore witness to the catastrophe that the people of UP had to endure owing to the failure of the government to act in time. Reports from crematoria show that across districts, deaths are being massively undercounted in Uttar Pradesh.
A call to restore constitutional norms
We demand that:
- Arbitrary detentions and torture of and police attacks on peacefully protesting students, minorities, dissenters and others be stopped forthwith and recoveries for alleged damage to property under an “arbitrary” law be discontinued.
- There have been more than 6000 “encounters” including both serious injuries and extra-judicial killings, which are eulogized as achievements by top bureaucrats, their main targets being Muslims, Dalits and other backward castes. This illegal and unconstitutional practice must stop.
- The institutionalization and legitimization of vigilantism by appointing “police mitras” and giving immunity to cow protectors for the violence they inflict dissolve the distinction between the State and private armies. These policies must end.
- Targeting Muslim men for alleged “forced conversion” of Hindu women with whom they have a friendly or romantic relationship continues apace under a vaguely worded law that allows the police and administration to misuse it. This idea of “love jihad” – without legal empirical or official basis – must be jettisoned.
- The draconian preventive detention law, the National Security Act (NSA), has been mainly used against Muslims, Dalits and dissenters for alleged offences like cow slaughter, protests against the CAA and attacks on the police, that cannot be seen as a threat to national security. This misuse of law must stop and normal penal provisions invoked, if at all justified.
- Finally, the Covid crisis has been wholly mismanaged and thousands have lost their lives for want of health facilities like trained staff, hospitals, ICUs, oxygen and medicines. But the administration has denied any crisis and has slapped charges against those who write objectively or complain of the situation on the ground. The crisis needs urgent handling and the practice of harassing or penalizing media or persons who report on inadequacies in the health system or voice their grievances in that regard cannot be allowed to continue. The invidious tendency to “shoot the messenger” must stop.
Satyameva Jayate
Names of CCG members who are signatories
| Name | Service | Last post/designation before retirement | |
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Salahuddin Ahmad | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan |
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S.P. Ambrose | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI |
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Anand Arni | RAS (Retd.) | Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI |
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G.Balachandran | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal |
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Vappala Balachandran | IPS (Retd.) | Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI |
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Gopalan Balagopal | IAS (Retd.) | Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal |
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Chandrashekhar Balakrishnan | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Coal, GoI |
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T.K. Banerji | IAS (Retd.) | Former Member, Union Public Service Commission |
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Sharad Behar | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh |
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Aurobindo Behera | IAS (Retd.) | Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha |
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Madhu Bhaduri | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Portugal |
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K.V. Bhagirath | IFS (Retd.) | Former Secretary General, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Mauritius |
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Ravi Budhiraja | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI |
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Sundar Burra | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra |
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Kalyani Chaudhuri | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal |
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Gurjit Singh Cheema | IAS (Retd.) | Former Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Govt. of Punjab |
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F.T.R. Colaso | IPS (Retd.) | Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Karnataka & former Director General of Police, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir |
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P.R. Dasgupta | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI |
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Nitin Desai | Former Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, GoI | |
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M.G. Devasahayam | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana |
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Sushil Dubey | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Sweden |
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A.S.Dulat | IPS (Retd.) | Former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Minister’s Office, GoI |
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K.P. Fabian | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Italy |
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Prabhu Ghate | IAS (Retd.) | Former Addl. Director General, Department of Tourism, GoI |
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Arif Ghauri | IRS (Retd.) | Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation) |
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Gourisankar Ghosh | IAS (Retd.) | Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI |
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Suresh K. Goel | IFS (Retd.) | Former Director General, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, GoI |
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H.S. Gujral | IFoS (Retd.) | Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of Punjab |
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Meena Gupta | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI |
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Wajahat Habibullah | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary,GoI, and former Chief Information Commissioner |
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Kamal Jaswal | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI |
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Najeeb Jung | IAS (Retd.) | Former Lieutenant Governor, Delhi |
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Brijesh Kumar | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI |
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Ish Kumar | IPS (Retd.) | Former DGP (Vigilance & Enforcement), Govt. of Telangana and former Special Rapporteur, National Human Rights Commission |
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P.K. Lahiri | IAS (Retd.) | Former ED, Asian Development Bank & Former Revenue Secretary, GoI |
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Subodh Lal | IPoS (Resigned) | Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI |
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B.B. Mahajan | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Deptt. of Food, GoI |
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P.M.S. Malik | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Myanmar & Special Secretary, MEA, GoI |
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Harsh Mander | IAS (Retd.) | Govt. of Madhya Pradesh |
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Lalit Mathur | IAS (Retd.) | Former Director-General, National Institute of Rural Development, GoI |
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L.L.Mehrotra | IFS (Retd.) | Former Special Envoy to the Prime Minister and former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, GoI |
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Aditi Mehta | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan |
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Shivshankar Menon | IFS (Retd.) | Former Foreign Secretary and Former National Security Adviser |
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Malay Mishra | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Hungary |
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Noor Mohammad | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India |
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Avinash Mohananey | IPS (Retd.) | Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim |
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Deb Mukharji | IFS (Retd.) | Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal |
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Shiv Shankar Mukherjee | IFS (Retd.) | Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom |
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Gautam Mukhopadhaya | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Myanmar |
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Pranab S. Mukhopadhyay | IAS (Retd.) | Former Director, Institute of Port Management, GoI |
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Nagalsamy | IA&AS (Retd.) | Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala |
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Sobha Nambisan | IAS (Retd.) | Former Principal Secretary (Planning), Govt. of Karnataka |
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P.A. Nazareth | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Egypt and Mexico |
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P. Joy Oommen | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh |
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Amitabha Pande | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI |
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Niranjan Pant | IA&AS (Retd.) | Former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, GoI |
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P. R. Parthasarathy | IPS (Retd.) | Former Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Govt. of Maharashtra |
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Alok Perti | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI |
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R. Poornalingam | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, GoI |
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Jayant Prasad | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Nepal |
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Rajesh Prasad | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to the Netherlands |
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T.R. Raghunandan | IAS (Retd.) | Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI |
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N.K. Raghupathy | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI |
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V.P. Raja | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission |
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M.Y. Rao | IAS (Retd.) | |
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Vijaya Latha Reddy | IFS (Retd.) | Former Deputy National Security Adviser, GoI |
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Julio Ribeiro | IPS (Retd.) | Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania |
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Aruna Roy | IAS (Resigned) | |
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A.K. Samanta | IPS (Retd.) | Former Director General of Police (Intelligence), Govt. of West Bengal |
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Deepak Sanan | IAS (Retd.) | Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh |
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Shyam Saran | IFS (Retd.) | Former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board |
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N.C. Saxena | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI |
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Ardhendu Sen | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal |
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Abhijit Sengupta | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI |
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Aftab Seth | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Japan |
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Ashok Kumar Sharma | IFoS (Retd.) | Former MD, State Forest Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat |
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Ashok Kumar Sharma | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia |
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Navrekha Sharma | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Indonesia |
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Raju Sharma | IAS (Retd.) | Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh |
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Tara Ajai Singh | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka |
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Tirlochan Singh | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, GoI |
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Jawhar Sircar | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati |
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Parveen Talha | IRS (Retd.) | Former Member, Union Public Service Commission |
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Thanksy Thekkekera | IAS (Retd.) | Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra |
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P.S.S. Thomas | IAS (Retd.) | Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission |
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Hindal Tyabji | IAS (Retd.) | Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir |
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Rudi Warjri | IFS (Retd.) | Former Ambassador to Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica |
The following persons have endorsed the letter written by the retired civil servants
- Justice A. P. Shah, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court and former Chairman, Law Commission
- Admiral L. Ramdas, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC, former Chief of Naval Staff
- Captain S.Prabhala, IN (Retd.), VSM
- A. Mangai,Academician and Theatre Artist,Marappachi
- A.R.Vasavi,Professor,Independent Researcher
- Aakar Patel,Columnist,Independent
- Abha,Executive director,One Billon Rising India coordinator
- Abhijit Guha,Former professor in anthropology at Vidyasagar University,Retired
- AC Michael ,Former Member of Delhi Minorities Commission,United Christian Forum (UCF)
- Achin Vanaik,Retd. Professor,University of Delhi
- Aditi Yajnik,Astt Coordinator- Organising ,SEWA
- Aditya Mukherjee,Professor (Retired),Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Aditya Vikram Rametra,Social worker,
- Adv. Philo Thomas,Director,Women’s Welfare Centre
- Ajaya Kumar Singh,Citizen,Bhubaneswar
- Alka Hingorani,Associate Professor,IIT Bombay
- Allwyn,Citizen,Jesuits
- Amarjeet Kaur,General Secretary AITUC,AITUC is national centre of trade unions
- Amit Bhabhri,Resigned as Professor Emeritus from JNU,
- Amitava Choudhury,Working Committee member,National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information
- Amrita Mondal,Assistant professor,University of North Bengal
- Ana Maria R. Nemenzo,National Coordinator,Woman Health Philippines
- Anand K Sahay,Columnist,Journalist
- Anand Kumar,President,Society for Communal Harmony
- Anil Sadgopal,Former Head & Dean of Faculty of Education in Delhi University,All India Forum for Right to Education
- Anita Cheria,Director,OpenSpace
- Apoorvanand,Professor,Delhi University
- Archana Prasad,Professor,Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Arun Khote,Editor of Justice News,PMARC
- Arun Mitra,ENT Surgeon (Senior Vice President) ,Indian Doctors for Peace and Development
- Aruna Burte ,Retired ,Individual
- Aruna Rodrigues,Private Citizen,
- Arundhati Dhuru,National Alliance of People’s Movements,Lucknow
- Arvind Kaul,IAS (Retd),
- Asha Dey,Housewife,
- Ashim Jain,Concerned individual,
- Ashish Ranjan,Secretary,Jan Jagran shakti sangathan
- Ashok Choudhary,General Secretary,All India Union of Forest Working People
- Ashok Kumar,Community Mobilizer,Satark Nagrik Sangathan
- Ashutosh Varshney,Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences ,Brown University
- Asmina Venkatesh,Concerned individual,
- Atul Deshmukh,National General Secretary,Rashtra Seva Dal
- Beena Choksi,Educator,Independent
- Bharat Dogra,Journalist and Honorary Convener of Save the Earth Now Campaign,Independent writer
- Braj Kishore Jha,Ecoactivist ,Society
- Brinda Adige,Social Worker,Indian Citizen
- Bubla Basu,Educationist,Freelance
- C R Bijoy,writer-researcher,independent
- Cedric Prakash,Human Rights and Peace Activist/Writer,Jesuits
- Chayanika Shah ,Retired College Lecturer,Forum Against Oppression of Women in Mumbai
- Chhotebhai Noronha,National Convenor,Indian Catholic Forum in Kanpur
- Chun,Housewife,
- Clifton D’ Rozario,National Convener,All India Lawyers Association for Justice
- D R Chand,Retired,
- Deepa Balsavar,Writer and illustrator,
- Deepa Vasudevan,Managing Trustee,Sahayatrika
- Deeptha Umapathy,Social Researcher,
- Denzil Fernandes,President,Social Action Trust
- Devika Singh,Individual,Member of Alliance for the Right to ECD
- Dilip Simeon,Scholar and writer,Not applicable
- Dinesh Abrol,Professor ,TRCSS JNU
- Dinesh C. Mali,Advocate,Rajasthan Highcourt Principal seat
- Dipak Dholakia,Convener,Indian Community Activists Network – ICAN
- Dr Lubna Sarwath,State General Secretary of Telangana,Socialist Party (India)
- Dr. Mohan Rao,Retired professor,Former professor at JNU in New Delhi
- Dr. Sanjay Mangala Gopal,National Convener,National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM)
- Dr. Sudhir Vombatkere
- Dr. Gabriele Dietrich,Professor retd,NAPM
- Edwin M John,Founder,VHAK
- Elsa Muttathu,Member,Indian Christian Women’s Movement
- Faisal Khan,National Convenor,Khudai Khidmatgar in Delhi and Farukkhabad
- Flavia Agnes,Founder Majlis Mumbai,Majlis
- G. N. Devy,National President,Rashtra Seva Dal
- Gabriele Dietrich,President of Pennurimai Iyakkam,NAPM
- Gauhar Raza,Former Chief Scientist,CSIR
- Gautam Chaudhury,Disability Development worker,
- Ghanshyam Shah,Retired Professor JNU in New Delhi,Free Lance social researcher
- Gulshan Dietl ,Professor (Retired),
- Hannan Mollah,General Secretary,All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS)
- Hasina Khan,Gender activist,Bebaak Collective
- Indu Prakash Singh,Facilitator,CityMakers Mission International
- Irfan Engineer,Member,All India Secular Forum
- Ishwarbhai Prajapati,Retired from Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad,New Socialist Initiative.
- J. Siqueira,Retired,IWTF
- Jagdeep Chhokar,Professor (Retired),Free lancer
- Jagdish Patel,Director,
- Jagriti Rahi,Gandhian Social Activist,Varanasi
- Jashodhara Dasgupta,Independent Researcher,
- Javed Anand,Convener,Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy
- Jaya Iyer,Artist teacher,Aalaya
- Jayapadma,Teacher,Rajghat Besant School
- Jayati Ghosh,Professor,University of Massachusetts at Amherst in USA
- John Dayal,Writer,AICU
- Joseph Chenakala,Social Activist,Reg. non profit organization
- Joseph Vijayan,Spokesperson,Coastal Watch
- K Babu Rao,President,Human Rights Forum of Hyderabad City
- K J Joy,Coordinator,Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India
- Kalyani Menon Sen,Independent researcher,Independent researcher
- Kapil Patil,MLC from Maharashtra,Managing Trustee of the RSD
- Kochurani Abraham,Doctor ,Indian Women Theologians Forum
- Koninika Ray,National Secretary,National Federation of Indian Women
- Krishna Das TN,Employee,
- Laji Paul,Pastor,Pentecostal
- Lakshmi Krishnamurty,Researcher in education and women’s empowerment – retired,Alarippu
- Lalita Ramdas,Educator,Lara-Ramu Farm
- Lata Singh,Associate Professor,Centre for Women’s Studies in JNU
- Leela Samson,Bharatnatyam dancer,
- Manju Kapur,Writer,
- Manoj Misra,Convener,Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
- Maria James,Advocate,All India Lawyers Union
- Mathew,Counsellor,
- Mathew,Teacher,
- Maulshree Sinha,BI Consultant,
- Maya Krishna Rao,Theatre Artist,
- Md. Jahangeer,Teacher,Concern citizen of India
- Meera Dewan,Filmmaker,South View Productions
- Meera Sanghamitra,Social Activist ,National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)
- Monisha Rao,President,India Friends Association
- Moti Lal Nepali,Chair,Dalit Welfare Association
- Mridula Mukherjee,Professor (Retired),Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Mritiunjoy Mohanty,Professor,IIM Calcutta
- Muniza Rafique Khan,Registrar,Gandhian Institute of Studies in Varanasi
- Muralidharan,General Secretary,National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled
- Nachiket Udupa,Member,Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
- Nalini Nayak,Member,Protsahan
- Nandini Sundar,Professor of Sociology,Delhi University
- Nandita Narain,Associate Professor ,St.Stephen’s College at Delhi University
- Naresh Dadhich ,Emeritus Professor ,Former Director at IUCAA in PUNE
- Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry ,Theatre Director and teacher & Professor Emeritus from Panjab University,
- Neera Chandhoke,Professor,Delhi University retd
- Neeraj Jain,Convenor,Lokayat in Pune
- Niloufer Bhagwat,Vice President,Indian Association of Lawyers
- Nisha Biswas,Scientist,CSIR
- Nivedita Menon,Professor,JNU
- Noopur,Executive Director ,National Coalition for Education
- Om Prakash Singh,Senior Advisor,Centre for Financial Accountability
- P.L.Mimroth,Chief functionary,
- Pamela Philipose,Journalist,Independent
- Panchali Ray,Researcher,Independent Researcher
- Pandurang Hegde,Activist,Chipko-Appiko Movement
- Paul Divakar N,Chair,Asia Dalit Rights Forum
- Pavan Nair,Veteran,
- Peehu Pardeshi,Assistant Professor,TISS
- Prabhat Patnaik,Professor Emeritus,Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi
- Pradip Prabhu,Advocate,Kashtakari Sangatana & Campaign for Survival and Dignity
- Prakash Louis,Coordinator,Jesuit Migrant Service
- Pramod Yadava,Professor (superannuated),Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Preeti Sampat,Academic,India
- Prem Krishna Sharma,Advocate,P.U.C.L.
- Primila Lewis,Social activist ,None now but with the common people everywhere
- Prof Santosh Mehrotra ,Visiting Prof at University of Bath in UK,Former Prof Econ JNU & Director General at National Inst for Labour Econ Research
- Prof. K.L. Sharma,Former Professor of Sociology and Rector at JNU in New Delhi,Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur
- Professor Ajay K. Mehra,Professor and former Atal Senior Fellow in NMML,Retired
- Puran Bartwal,Independent human rights worker,
- Purushothama Bilimale,Professor (retired),Former professor JNU
- Pushkar Raj,Researcher ,PUCL
- Radha Holla,Independent researcher on child nutrition and conflict of interest,
- Rahul Basu,Concerned individual,
- Rahul Mukherji,Professor and Executive Director,South Asia Institute at Heidelberg University
- Rajendran Narayanan,Assistant Professor,Azim Premji University
- Rajni Bakshi,Author,PUCL
- Rakesh Gupta,Retired Professor at CPS in JNU,
- Ram Puniyani,Writer,Center for Study of Society and Secularism
- Ramani Atkuri,Public Health Professional,
- Ramesh Dixit,Retired professor,Lucknow University
- Ranin Chakraborty,Retired Reacher,Individual
- Ravi Srivastava,Former Professor at JNU,IHD
- Reni Jacob,Advocate,Madras HC
- Richa Audichya,Member,BBAVM
- Rohan D’ Souza,Professor ,ASAFAS at Kyoto University
- Rohini Hensman,Writer ,Independent scholar
- Romi Mahajan,CEO,KKM Group
- RP Kaushik,Former Professor at SIS in JNU,Former Ambassador
- S Balakrishna,Retired ,
- Sagari Ramdas,Veterinary Scientist,Food Sovereignty Alliance in India
- Salil Shetty,Senior Fellow,Harvard University
- Samar Bagchi ,Retired,NAPM
- Samuel Asir Raj,Professor,Manomaniam Sundaranar University at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu
- Sandeep Pandey,Vice President,Socialist Party (India)
- Sandhya Gokhale,Activist member,Forum Against Oppression of Women
- Saumyajit Bhattacharya,Associate Professor,Kirori Mal College in University of Delhi
- Sebastian Joseph,Assistant Professor,UC College Aluva Kerala
- Selma,A retired teacher from West Bengal,Social Centre in Siliguri
- Shabnam Hashmi,Social Activist & Founder ,Anhad
- Shaikh Ghulam Rasool,Chairperson J&K RTI Movement,National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information
- Shakeel Ur Rahman,Doctor ,CHARM
- Shanti Picardo,Social worker,Forum of Religious for Peace and Justice
- Sharmila,Assoc Prof,IIT Bombay
- Shewli,Associate Professor,Tata Institute of Social Sciences
- Shiraz Bulsara Prabhu,Human Rights defender,PUCL & Kashtakari Sanghatana
- Shiv Visvanathan,Professor,Jindal Global Law School
- Shomie Das,Retd,
- Shruti Kabo,Lead Designer of Research & Strategy,
- Shwetha,Teacher,Indian
- Sr. Justine ,Advocate ,Congregations of St. Joseph
- Sri Mayasandra,Community Development Worker,Independent
- Sucheta Mahajan,Professor,Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi
- Sudhir Kumar,Architect,PUCL
- Sudip Bhattacharya,Free-lancer,
- Suhas Kolhekar,Health Rights and Social Activist,National Alliance of People’s Movements
- Suhasini Mulay,Actor,Individual
- Sujata Gothoskar,Member,Forum Against Oppression of Women
- Sujata Patel,Distinguished Professor ,Savitribai Phule Pune University
- Sukla Sen ,Peace Activist ,PUCL in Maharashtra
- Sukumar Muralidharan,Journalist ,Independent
- Sumit Sarkar,Retired Professor,University of Delhi
- Sunanda Sen,Retired Professor jnu,Retired Professor
- Swadesh Mitter Mahajan,Professor pf Physics,University of Texas at Austin
- Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi ,Professor ,Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh
- Syeda Hameed,Writer & Activist,Muslim Womens Forum
- T. Vijayendra,Author,SAPACC
- Tanika Sarkar,Retired Professor,Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi
- Tara Murali,Architect,Individual
- Teena Gill,Filmmaker,Independent
- Teesta Setalvad,Secretary ,Citizens for Justice and Peace
- Tejaram Mali,Coordinator,SR Abhiyan
- Thalekkara Krishnan Arun,Editorial Contributor,Multiple publications
- Theramma,Social worker,
- Timir Basu,Editor of Frontier,Independent
- Tushar Gandhi,Author & Activist,Mahatma Gandhi Foundation
- Uma Chakravarti,Retired teacher,Independent historian
- Uma V Chandru,Member,WSS
- V. Gadgil,Civil society activists,
- V.Vasanthi Devi,Formerly Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tamil Nadu & Formerly Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Commision for Women,Movement to Save School Education in Tamil Nadu
- Vaishna Narng,Professor Retired,JNU retd
- Vandana Kulkarni,Social activist,
- Varghese Theckanath,Convenor,Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights (CHATRI)
- Vasudha Dalmia,Professor,University of California at Berkeley
- Vijaya Ramchandran,Jagriti Bal Vikas Samiti,Kanpur
- Vikram Soni,Emeritus Prof ,Jamia Millia
- Vinay Jain,Graphic designer,
- Vinod Bhagat,Senior Advocate,
- Virginia Saldanha,Coordinator of Indian Christian Women’s Movement Mumbai.,Indian Christian Women’s Movement
- Walter Fernandes,Director ,NESRC
- Wilfred Dcosta,Alliances & Linkages Convenor,Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF)
- Zoya Hasan,Professor Emerita at Jawaharlal Nehru University,JNU