Civil rights activists came together in the capital on Saturday to protest against the inclusion of their names in the charge sheet filed against top Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy.

They termed this move as a calibrated attempt by the home ministry to crush any genuine dissent being expressed by civil rights groups.

“The situation in the country has degenerated to such an extent that today even if you dare to think about the genuine grievances of tribals, you are liable to be punished. The government has criminalised even the thought process,” Arundhati Roy, the noted novelist and civil rights activist said, in a press conference.

She said there was a war going in the country with security forces killing innocent villagers and burning their houses almost every day, and if this continues, it will lead to a civil war. She said the state was fast turning in a fascist stomping out any dissent.

Civil rights activist and noted lawyer Prashant Bhusan said the government, in the name of war against terror, was carrying out a very calculated campaign to intimidate the members of civil society, who have been protesting against governments highhandedness in dealing with the genuine grievances of the adivasis.

Delhi police in its charge sheet filed against Kobad Ghandy on February 18 has named a number of activists and their organizations, charging them with ‘broadening the base of the CPI (maoists).

They include Dashan Pal of the Peoples Democratic Front of India, GN Saibaba, a professor with Delhi University, Rona Wilson of the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners and Gautam Navlakha of the Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR).     

Those named in the charge sheet have refuted the allegations and called it baseless without any evidence to back it up.

They are being targeted in the charge sheet because, along with hundreds of others, they have actively and openly protested against Operation Green Hunt being carried out by the security forces said one of the activists.