Following the arrest of self-proclaimed activist Teesta Setalvad by Gujarat ATS, the entire ecosystem, which was previously busy incriminating the then-chief minister Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots in 2002, has sprung back into action. They have now taken a stand to protest the authorities’ decision and characterize the government as dictatorial.
The Mumbai Press Club took to Twitter to condemn the move by the authorities and ask to free Teesta Setalvad. They wrote, “Mumbai Press Club expresses shock and dismay at the arrest of journalist and human rights activist Teesta Setalvad by the Gujarat Police on Saturday 25th June. This followed the dismissal by the Supreme Court on Friday, 24th June, of a petition in which Setalvad is a co-petitioner who appealed against a lower court’s order in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots case.”
They further said, “It is unacceptable that a person who has been fighting for civil justice should be accused of fabricating evidence and misleading the Special Investigation Team.”
Somehow, Teesta Setalvad metamorphosed into a ‘journalist’ just because she runs one propaganda outlet called ‘Sabrang’ which has been used to spread anti-Modi propaganda over the years.
Notable pro-Congress activist Shabnam Hashmi also took to Twitter and shared a poster seeking support from the public to protest in Delhi against the arrest of Teesta Setalvad. Hashmi has been caught several times spreading fake news and lies.
Hashmi, a pro-Congress ‘activist’ is sister of Safdar Hashmi, a communist activist who was killed by Congress leaders while performing a play.
Communist leader Kavita Krishnan, who has compared the Taliban to Hindutva, also took to Twitter pouring her outrage after the arrest of Teesta Setalvad. She wrote, “Bad enough that the Supreme Court rejected Zakia Jafri’s petition – but outrageous that it criminalised @TeestaSetalvad & others who supported her quest for justice for Gujarat 2002 violence! Chronology is clear – SC has enabled Gujarat ATS & Modi-Shah’s vindictive actions.”
Financial fraud accused Rana Ayyub also jumped in to support her partner. She retweeted a tweet by another member of their Karuna Nundy, who accused the Supreme Court of undermining India’s constitution after Teesta Setalvad was arrested. It is worth noting that the Supreme Court of India dismissed Rana Ayyub’s description in ‘Gujarat Files,’ rubbishing the book as being based on surmises, conjectures, and suppositions.
Amnesty India also weighed in to defend Teesta Setalvad. They characterised the action as a deliberate retaliation against anyone who dared to call their human rights record into question.
It should be noted that all of this is happening in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s rejection of a petition in which the Supreme Court of India upheld the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat Riots when he was the state’s chief minister. The Supreme Court stated in its decision that Zakia Jafri’s petition was without foundation and had been done to keep the pot boiling.
On June 25, 2022, a squad from Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorism Squad apprehended so-called activist Teesta Setalvad. She was detained from her residence in Mumbai’s Juhu locality at about 3 PM and brought to Ahmedabad via road.
The court even said that there is a need for further investigation into Teesta Setalvad as she was using Zakia Jafri’s feelings in the case for her own benefit. The court noted, “It is submitted that Ms Teesta Setalvad, for reasons best known to her and out of vengeance, was interested in continuing with her tirade and persecution on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations in the complaint in the name of the quest for justice with real purpose to keep the pot boiling and sensationalise and politicise the crime.”