Walls of hatred in the name of religion
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has alleged that “walls of hatred” are being erected in the name of religion in India and those who stand against this "injustice" are being “punished.”
In a short video released by the Amnesty India against the alleged government "crackdown" on NGOs, Shah said those who demanded rights were being locked up.
"Artistes, actors, scholars, poets are all being stifled. Journalists too are being silenced," he said in the short video.
“In the name of religion, walls of hatred are being erected. Innocents are being killed. The country is awash with horrific hatred and cruelty."
He claimed that those who stood against this "injustice" were having their offices raided, licences cancelled and bank accounts frozen so that they were deterred from speaking the truth.
"Is this where our country is headed? Had we dreamt of a country where there was no space for dissent, where only the rich and powerful are heard and where the poorest and most vulnerable are oppressed? Where there once was law, there is now only darkness," he said, speaking in Urdu.
Naseeruddin Shah had recently created controversy when he said that the death of a cow had more significance than that of a police officer.
He was speaking in the wake of mob violence by cow vigilantes in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district on December 3 that led to the death of two men, including police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.
The Amnesty India claimed the country had witnessed a massive crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights defenders.
Aakar Patel, a member of Amnesty India, said it may seem that the odds were against human rights defenders and civil society in India at the moment, but human rights had always won and would this time as well.
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