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The irony of this directive is , the government of the very chief minister of Bihar who himself is a part of many protests , allowing police to issue such a notice .
With this circular they threaten people that those involved in protest activity will not be taken in to government jobs and contracts are annulled . This a mockery of the right to protest . It is appetent that police are allowed to decide the destinies of our citizens . This is nothing but pure and simple authoritarian trend of the rule .
In the same way the Madhya Pradesh government has made character certificates mandatory for getting a driving licence in the state . The state government issued an order to the effect . The state government claims that the move will help curb crime against women in the state and it will also ensure safety for movement of women in public transport . With such flimsy claims the state government intends to control its citizens .
The Uttarakhand police have decided to scrutinise social media behaviour of passport applicants before giving clearance for passports . The police justify this decision stating that this measure is needed to stop growing misuse of social media platforms to , foment trouble and claim that the police stand against any thing that falls in to the category of anti-national activities as defined by our constitution . Thus in the very name of the constitution the police chose to trample on the freedom of expression and speech of the citizens .
On the other hand the Nagaland governor has directed the chief secretary to initiate criminal proceedings against state government employees indulging in seditious and subversive writings challenging the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and posting then on social media .
The pattern of all these police edicts clearly shows that our rulers have chosen to cow down the public who dissent with the views of rulers and who criticise them and incarcerate them in the name of anti-national , seditions , subversive activities , and violently trample the right of freedom of speech and expression supposed to have been guaranteed by our constitution and that they have decided to rule “ democratically ” by converting our state in to a totalitarian police state .
These trends warn about the immediate necessity of the protection of democratic rights in our country .
All democratic minded people and forces of our country shall immediately rise to this occasion and resist such police attempts to trample on the people ’ s right of freedom of speech and expression . ❖
Historic Relevance of “ Pagdi Sambhal ” Protest
In 2020 , more than a century after the historic Pagdi Sambhal Jatta farmer ’ s movement spearheaded by Ajit Singh in 1907 ( Ajit Singh was the uncle of Shaheed Bhagat Singh ) before Partition , the Central government enacted three ‘ anti-farmer ’ laws . The peasant organizations have resurrected it as an icon and a powerful inspiration to the present farmer ’ s agitation on Delhi ’ s borders and all over India .
The British colonial government brought in three antifarmer laws in Punjab in 1906 . They are : the Punjab Land Colonization Bill , which introduced inheritance by primogeniture , that take away the farmer ’ s land , as they are fearing now ; the Bari Doab 12
Canal Act , by which rates of irrigation water increased , and 25 per cent hike in revenue rates was effected ; and the Punjab Land Alienation Act .
Between March and May 1907 , several meetings were held in various cities of Punjab to oppose the three laws . On March 22 , 1907 , during a meeting held at Lyallpur , Lala Banke Dayal , editor , Jhang Syal , recited his Pagdi Sambhal Jatta , now regarded as a classic . Subsequently , the peasantry ’ s agitation was called as the Pagdi Sambhal Jatta movement . Lord Morley , Secretary of State for India , told British Parliament that in all , meetings held in Punjab , of which Ajit Singh had addressed 19 as the main speaker . Ajit Singh was a powerful orator who used to hold the audience spellbound . The British Officials described one of his speeches , delivered on April 21 in Rawalpindi , as ‘ highly seditious ’ and a case under Section 124 A ( sec of the IPC was registered against him . Lord Kitchener , Commander-in-chief of the British forces in India , apprehended a revolt in the armed forces . Ultimately , the three laws were revoked in May 1907 , but Lala Lajpat also a speaker at some of these meetings , was arrested on May 9 and Ajit Singh on June 2 . Both were detained in the Mandalay prison in Burma for six months under Regulation-III of 1818 . Both were released on November , 11 th .
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Class Struggle