Thread : As we fight a pandemic authorities have charged young Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra, Umar Khalid and many other students of Jamia under UAPA. This should scare us because of how easily is power using UAPA as a tool of intimidation. What is UAPA ?

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UAPA is an extraordinary (read : draconian) law (a law created by the state to use in an extraordinary situation such as internal strife of a violent, destabilising nature, civil war, threats to national security and terror activities)

the only argument that is used to support the law is the 'necessary evil' argument. UAPA, it's a non bailable charge, the state is often never able to prove a single charge, basically, they can keep you behind bars for years, torture you, without any proof.

Remember the movie 'Shahid' you all saw. It's the same law with a different name.
As sound citizens of the country we need to realize when the law is repeatedly being used at convenience against citizens of the country, there is something very wrong that is going on.

Everyone who is being arrested is always a young activist, artist, journalist, without the celebrity status, someone who works at the ground level, writes for the regional media, represents the suppressed. Someone who can actually be implicated falsely without an outrage.

We need to get out of our cocoons because like corona this will keep spreading. If we let a law made for extraordinary times be used ordinarily then it will become a tool of ordinary use for power. One day we'll demand your very basic rights and we'd be declared a national threat

When they charge and arrest young students, activists, journalists, artists without any concrete evidence, instead of their own ministers who have come on record and threatened violence. Their purpose is not just National Security, it's the fear. They want to intimidate you (End)