Explore the journey of former Delhi University professor Gokarakonda Naga (G N) Saibaba, from his arrest to acquittal, as he discusses the impact of his legal battle on human rights activism, education, and social justice. Uncover Saibaba's perspective on his arrest, imprisonment, and the role of political ideology in his case. Gain insights into his vision for the future, centered around education and the rights of marginalized communities. Join us for a compelling interview shedding light on resilience, hope, and the fight for justice in challenging times.
Read the full interview: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/we-need-ideas-patience-and-hope-prof-gn-saibaba-following-long-awaited-acquittal
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#GNSaibaba #HumanRights #Interview
Read the full interview: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/we-need-ideas-patience-and-hope-prof-gn-saibaba-following-long-awaited-acquittal
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
#GNSaibaba #HumanRights #Interview
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NewsTranscript
00:00 We should not lose hope. These are the dark times. We need to have patience. We need to
00:07 have ideas. We need to have hope.
00:18 Back then, between 2010 and 2013, many of us from Delhi and all over the world, we were
00:31 together raising our voice against the suppression of rights of indigenous people, Adivasis. During
00:42 that time, there were kind of large mining projects were signed with MOUs and villages
00:56 were emptied in the forest areas and burned down and there were multiple attacks on the
01:04 Adivasis, basically to clear the grounds for mining, to hand over the lands and forests
01:13 to the corporate houses. Many of us thought that this is going to be very dangerous and
01:24 it is going to be genocidal attacks on Adivasis. Particularly, some of us from Delhi, we met
01:33 together under the guidance of Justice Rajendra Satcher, who is the former Chief Justice of
01:47 Delhi and also the Chairman of the Committee on Minorities to raise the issue of Adivasis
01:55 and their rights and particularly, 5th schedule and 6th schedule of the constitution. Otherwise,
02:04 these trampling of rights of Adivasis and including their right to life were in danger
02:16 and we had together like Professor Ranadhir Singh, Dr. BD Sharma who was the IAS officer
02:23 retired and was also the Vice-Chancellor of North East University. Surendra Mohan, who
02:31 was veteran human rights activist and socialist and MP. A number of us came together and we
02:44 formed a forum called Forum Against War on People and I was asked to act as convener
02:55 to put together all the civil society groups, democratic rights groups and people. So, that
03:04 was the background and we were also representing the issues of the tribals about 8 to 9 crore
03:14 Adivasis in India who are being targeted for super profits of the corporate houses at that
03:22 time. So, what we did was that we also engaged with
03:28 the international community, particularly UN bodies like UN body on indigenous people,
03:35 UN body on human rights and various other bodies and then I was also asked to coordinate
03:43 as act as a coordinator for kind of international voice. So, I was acting as a center point
03:54 coordinator and convener of All India Forum and International Forum. They asked me to
04:02 do it to so that I could coordinate and then the voice comes in a focused way where we
04:12 can even discuss with government and convince the government to stop this corporate loot
04:18 and threat to the genocide, threat of genocide of Adivasis.
04:26 It was called you know earlier 2010 Salva Judum and by 2013 it was called Operation
04:33 Green Hunt and we were activity from all the main cities of India and different states.
04:41 We coordinated and we conducted several programs because of which was focused internationally.
04:50 So perhaps the powers that be at that time did not like that and they wanted to you know
04:59 suppress the voice of the people because we called it a war on people which was in 2014
05:09 when I was kidnapped and later on declared as arrested. That is the only kind of you
05:18 know reason I cannot see or any other one can cannot see any other reason for this false
05:27 and fabricated case. 10 years after this where we are we have to see all those efforts were
05:35 gone after my arrest and stopped.
05:40 It just not a legal battle in the sense you know some false cases foisted on me and then
05:50 we go to the court and then immediately we will get some relief. It was not like that.
05:57 Though there was nothing against me in my university, immediately after 3 days I was
06:02 suspended and after that in 2021 March I was dismissed. It was a very very difficult time
06:12 for us and for entire family and also you know that there was a kind of you know the
06:21 arrest was under prevention of terrorist activities, unlawful activities, prevention act. So that
06:32 is straight away branding a teacher as a terrorist and it stigmatized me and my family because
06:43 you know like everywhere the family would be looked into kind of a you know the family
06:49 of a terrorist. It emotionally, educationally, professionally and family wise you know in
07:03 every friend we faced heavy kind of a repression and stigma and also you know that emotionally
07:15 it was, it affected all of us.
07:21 Physically within the 4 walls I was subjected to untold kind of you know and the kind of
07:34 torture you know like mental torture and my body was affected in every aspect being a
07:47 disabled person. Further my condition was kind of you know deteriorated. I do not know
07:57 what political ideology was looked at to you know frame me in a false case because political
08:10 ideology cannot be the ground for any legal case, criminal case. People believe in different
08:21 kinds of ideas and you know in a democracy under a constitution people are free to believe
08:33 any kind of ideology though that cannot be the reason for any case.
08:39 It is very amorphous what they believe, what I am, I am but what certain people would like
08:49 to brand me as you know it is only their attempt to do that. You know like if one is in prison
09:03 one would really understand the laws of rights not only personally but if you look at the
09:11 prison it is like a microcosm of the entire country. So it will help you to understand
09:19 that how the rights given in the constitution and the natural rights of human beings and
09:29 rights above the constitution that are democratic rights. The rights that you get as a citizen
09:38 from the constitution will pave the way for larger and broader kind of democratic rights.
09:46 Each prison and particularly the prison I was there is a kind of a prison house of torture,
09:58 violation of rights and use of caste system, use of communal system, use of every you know
10:11 anti-human acts. I have been a teacher from my very young age and I have been living as
10:26 a teacher. I would like to continue to be a teacher and I would like to die as a teacher.
10:36 Teaching is very very important. So in my rest of my life I will continue my teaching
10:44 and it is teaching and as a student of literature and as a student of teacher of, as a teacher
10:53 of literature I got certain kind of an understanding of the world around me which actually inspired
11:06 me or directed me to have a perspective to take the responsibility of protecting, defending
11:17 the rights of the, protecting and defending the rights of the marginalized who remained
11:23 marginalized for hundreds of years in this country.
11:26 So I would like to work for the education of the people and this is part of my you know
11:35 my task to take the voice for the demand of democratic rights, human rights, civil rights
11:48 of the most marginalized section through education and it is only through education now being
11:57 anything else is now denied and education cannot be denied which actually needs certain
12:04 agency to take this aspect to the lives of the people, all the marginalized sections.
12:14 So my hope and aspiration in, for my future is I would like to work more on education
12:24 and the rights of the people. I wanted to become an educator, I wanted to remain a teacher
12:32 and work for these people.
12:37 Violence does not create anything, first of all. This I have been saying in the past 35
12:49 years. But at the same time who is responsible for the violence that is also important. See,
13:01 I mean this whole debate of violence, non-violence has no meaning. We cannot go on debating this.
13:10 It is the work that we do for the rights of the people. That is no, there is no space
13:21 for non-violence debate in this. But you know violence is largely being perpetrated by those
13:34 who have power, not the marginalized sections.
13:41 We should not lose hope. These are the dark times, whether you take it fascist kind of
13:55 political landscape that is developing all over the world, taking grip over all the power
14:03 centers of the countries in the world. These all constitute dark times and we have gone
14:12 through these dark times in the past more than 10 years. But you know, if you look beyond
14:23 yourself and see how the vast majority of the people in the world and the country are
14:29 suffering, you will definitely come out of depression in this dark times.
14:38 And even the dark times also teach us something of a knowledge, light, gives us light. Through
14:50 that light that we should see in the eye of our mind and go ahead with confidence, courage
15:01 and also you know aspiration that we can certainly do. We need to have ideas. We need to have
15:11 hope.
15:14 I would like to say you know that the laws like EAPA that is Unlawful Activities Prevention
15:25 Act and a few other acts, draconian laws have no place in a democracy and we have to build
15:35 that kind of a democracy where draconian laws are not used against the citizens.
15:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]