More than 100 people Condemn the Brutal Police Violence on the Activists of VIBGYOR

On February 22, 2014, five activists of VIBGYOR International Film Festival were picked up by the police in Trichur and they were brutally beaten up inside the vehicle as well as inside the police station. Young woman cinematographer Neethu was attacked physically by male police and was subjected to sexual verbal abuse as well as physical violence. Five young activists were physically attacked and are detained by police at the Thrissur East Janamaitri Police station. Advocate R. K. Asha who came with her son and daughter to release the activists were also brutally beaten up and the male police kicked her with boots and she was dragged in front of her children. Her son and minor daughter were also subjected to physical violence. Advocate R.K. Asha, her minor daughter, Neethu, and Sruti were hospitalized in Thrissur later.

The boys were detained in police custody, denied bail and were remanded for 14 days. They got interim bail next day evening and were released. We came to know that the boys were tortured inside the jail too.  We unanimously condemn the brutal violence on women inside the police station and that also a practicing woman advocate and a young woman cinematographer as well as a minor girl. We also demand that the cases on five boys and Neethu, cinematographer be withdrawn immediately.

It is shocking that the police attacks on women activists of  VIBGYOR took place soon after the completion of 9^thVIBGYOR which focused on Gender Violence. When the work of internationally famous Eve Einsler, `Vagina Monologues’ was performed, the police tried to initiate physical violence on February15, 2014 right inside the festival ground. On February 13<sup>th</sup>, when the Sangh Parivar activists tried to stop the screening of the documentary on Kashmir `Ocean of Tears’, the police facilitated them to enter the campus and destroy the festival office. While the hooligans destroyed the office right in front of the police, no case was registered on any of these communal fascists. The activists of VIBGYOR courageously and resisted them in a united and non-violent manner and the fascists were forced to withdraw.

We are shocked at the growing state violence and communal violence on the cultural activists and we demand an immediate action on the guilty police officers. We demand that all the guilty police officers be suspended  and  legal actions undertaken on them immediately. We appeal to all women’s groups, human rights groups, activists and film personalities to strengthen this struggle against police violence on activists immediately. We appeal to all concerned sections to circulate this message immediately.

Friends of VIBGYOR:

Endorsements:

1. BhupaliKusum Vitthal,Centre for Education andCommunication, New Delhi

2. Shri Prakash, Film Maker, Jharkhand

3. Sameera Jain, Film Maker

4. AnjaliMonteiro and K.P. Jayasankar, Film Makers, TISS, Mumbai

5. Sunita Prasad

6. KavitaBahl, Director, TopQuark Films, Delhi

7. Supriya Madangarli, Mangalore

8. Anuradha, Hyderabad

9. Juhi Jain, feminist activist and writer New Delhi

10. Seena Viovin

11. SuhasiniMulay, Film personality, New Delhi

12. Shampa Sengupta, Disability and Gender Rights Activist, Kolkata

13. Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal

14. Sanal Sasidharan

15. Teena Gill, Film maker, New Delhi

16. Subuhi Jiwani

17. Sudha K.F, Central English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.

18. Benny Kuruvilla, New Delhi

19. Deepa Dhanraj, Film Maker

20. Pushpa Achanta, Writer (Bangalore)

21. Vasanth Kannabiran

22. Kirity Roy, National Convenor (PACTI)

23. PT George, Intercultural Resources

24. Sujata Gothoskar, independent researcher and activist

25. AchinVanaik former Dean, School Of Social Sciences, Delhi University

26. IndianSocial Action Forum (INSAF)

27. SmitaVanniyar, School of Media and Culture Studies, TISS

28. SuklaSen, EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai

29. PrafulBidwai

30. Muhammadamen

31. AbhilashB, Communications Specialist, Delhi

32. KalpanaMehta, Indore

33. SomaMarik, School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University

34. Dyuti

35. SurabhiSharma

36. Dr.K.Lalita, Director Yugantar, a Hyderabad based NGO &Vice-president Anveshi research Centre for Women’s Studies

37. SabaDewan, film maker, New Delhi

38. Vani Subramanian, Saheli Delhi

39. Kaveri R I, Hyderabad

40. Geeta Seshu, Consulting Editor, The Hoot, Free Speech Hub.

41. Elizabeth Philip, Sahaja, Kottayam

42. Anivar Aravind , Moving republic, Bangalore

43. Rohini Hensman (writer and activist)

44. Akhil Kumar, Sub-Editor, Youth Ki Awaaz

45. Akshay Pathak

46. Archana B, Bergen, Norway

47. Saba Prateeksha- Musician, and Director Hansadhwani Foundation

48. VIMOCHANA,Forum for Women’s Rights, Bangalore

49. AllIndia Students’ Associaion, Mumbai;

50. Jan Sanskriti Manch, Mumbai

51. Ram Puniyani, Writer

52. Civic Chandran, Pathabhedam

53. Sara Joseph, Writer

54. K.P. Sasi, Film Maker

55. P. Baburaj, Film Maker

56. Sreemith Shekhar, Film Maker

57. Anand Patwardhan, Film Maker

58. Magline Peter, Theeradesa Mahilavedi, Thiruvananthapuram

59. Meghnath, Akhra, Film Maker, Jharkhand

60. J. Devika, Research Scholar

61. K.E.K. Satish, Writer, Film Maker,

62. Wilfred D’Costa, INSAF, New Delhi

63. Kutti Revathi, Writer, Film Maker, Tamil Nadu

64. Amudhan RP, Film Maker, Chennai

65. Mark Achbar, Film Maker, Canada

66. Leena Patel, New Delhi

67. FTII Students’ Association, Pune

68. Asha G, Thiruvananthapuram

69. K. Saradamoni, Thiruvanthapuram

70. Shehna R Shora

71. All Indian Students’ Association

72. JNU Students’ Union, New Delhi

73. Irfan Engineer, Centre for Study of Society And Secularism

74. Rahul Roy, Film Maker

75. Marcello and Karina Bichara, Brazil

76. PN Gopi Krishnan, Poet

77. VG Thampi, Poet, Writer

78. I. Shanmukhadas, Film Critic

79. Priyanandan, Film Maker

80. Rekha Raj, Writer, Activist

81. Anvar Ali, Poet

82. Sasi Thanniam

83. Pramod Krishnan

84. Jayasree Anantha Jayasree

85. Meena Seshu, Sangram

86. Malini Chib, ADAPT

87. Santosh Surve, Jna Jagriti Vidyarthi, Manch

88. Amir Rizvi, Social Activist

89. Mukta Srivastava

90. Musthafa Deshamangalam, Film Maker

91. M. Jisha, Freelance journalist

92. MG Sasi, Film Maker

93. I. Gopinath, Freelance Journalist

94. Satya Sagar, Journalist

95. T. Peter, KSMTF

96. Jagdish Chandra, New Social Alternative, Bangalore

97. Deepu, Pedestrian Pictures, Bangalore

98. Ashok Mathew Philip, SICHREM, Bangalore

99. Dhirendra Pande, All India Secular Forum, Orissa

100. Vijaysingh Ronald David, National Adivasi Alliance, Karnataka

101. Vasanth Kannabiran, ASMITA Women’s Resource Centre, Hyderbad