Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(C), issued the following statement on 7 September, 2015:—
We strongly oppose the out and out fascistic circular dated 27 August, 2015 issued by the BJP-led Maharashtra government giving unbridled power to the police to invoke section 124A of IPC, a colonial era sedition clause, against any person who “by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, dissatisfaction and provoke violence against the central or the state government.”
This draconian edict of the Maharashtra government fragrantly violates the very fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed to every Indian citizen in the Constitution under article 14.
We call upon all the right-thinking democratic-minded citizens as well as all left and democratic political parties to rise up in protest and force the Maharashtra government to withdraw this anti-democracy circular forthwith.