MANGALORE, August 14, 2007: The Public Union for Civil Liberties PUCL today protested the attack on Muslim writer Taslima Nasreen at Hyderabad press club recently. In a strongly worded letter issued to the press here today President of the PUCL Mangalore P.B. D'Sa stated that ‘We strongly condemn the barbaric attack on Ms Taslima Nasreen by goons of M.I.M. led by no less than three legislators of the Andhra Pradesh assembly in Hyderabad last Thursday'.

Once again, freedom of expression of citizens and the media, guaranteed under the Constitution, is facing grave threat. This time it is all the more reprehensible because legislators who are supposed to be custodians of law themselves not only broke the law but most shamefully and unrepentantly justified the attack the letter stated.

Such vigilantism by religious fundamentalist groups has no place in a civilized society.

This is one more instance of the double standards of the police force of this democratic country. The police have shamelessly betrayed their true colours, bowed down to their political masters and booked the author under non-bailable, section 153A while the attackers were let away on mild bailable charges, said the letter.

The point we are trying to stress is that the guilty are going unpunished, law-abiding citizens are harassed, violations of human rights are on the increase and the lack of action/delayed action on the part of the state and the law-enforcement agencies has sent wrong signals to the miscreants and criminals that they can commit any crime and still get away with it.
 
The letter demanded a five fold agenda from the government with immediate effect.

1. False charges against Ms Taslima be dropped forthwith
2. "Attempt to murder" charges be booked against all the attackers.
3. Immediate suspension of the concerned MLAs and a bar on their re-election
4. Restoration of the broken-down law & order machinery in the whole country
5. Most immediate implementation of Police Reforms.

Our Correspondent