'Fear and hatred govern the country,' says Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan as he recalls Hathras

Kannur: Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was imprisoned for over two years while attempting to report the Hathras gangrape and murder case, said the country is today governed by 'fear and hatred'.

He was addressing a public event called 'Uproot Bulldozer Hindutva and Apartheid Zionism' organised by Solidarity Youth Movement Kerala at Mattannur in Kannur on Saturday. It was his first major public speech since release from prison this February.

Kappan was arrested on his way to Hathras in October 2020 to report the crime. He spent the next two-and-a-half years in prison, slapped with various charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and money laundering laws before the Allahabad High Court granted him bail.

He said it was necessary to show the courage to speak up "in these times of undeclared emergency" instead of reacting with 'likes' on Twitter (now X) and Facebook.

"We live at a time when journalists, activists and students are being made to line up in front of jails, charged with anti-national and sedition laws for criticising the government, for writing and voicing against their policies.

"Today, fear and hatred govern our country. At a time when ministers and even the governing leader have become propagators of hatred, it takes courage to proclaim the slogan, 'uproot Hindutva fascism'... but in contemporary India, even such slogans can become anti-national, deemed appropriate to slap a 153(A) or the UAPA," said Kappan.

He remarked on the alleged persecution of journalists vis-a-vis his arrest over the Hathras incident and the raids on NewsClick offices.

"We live at a time when media organisation like NewsClick is locked, its journalists are locked up for reporting the Delhi riots, the farmers' protests, the CAA and NRC and all other struggles.

"The responsible union home minister said during the election campaign in Karnataka that 'there is Kerala near you'. There was an attempt to demonize Kerala to gain votes in Karnataka. He was not booked. But Kerala's Member of Parliament, John Brittas, was charged under IPC 153(A) for writing that the home minister's speech was punishable with upto three years imprisonment. Not even an FIR was lodged against the home minister, but an anti-national charge was levelled against a fellow parliamentarian.

"In Hathras, the girl is sexually abused and killed. She doesn't get justice. Those who protest demanding justice for her are jailed. Three of the four accused in the rape case are out of prison. But the journalist who went to report it spends two-and-a-half years in jail. He is slapped with IPC, UAPA, foreign funding and other laws of the land," Kappan said.