Activist Teesta Setalvad, who was in the city on Saturday, spoke about the ‘brutalisation of the public space’, the rise of lawlessness and incidents of lynching, which she said has been normalised and on the rise since Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister.
She was in the city for the release of Samvidhanada Kaalaalu, a Kannada translation of her novel, Foot Soldier of the Constitution: A Memoir , organised at St. Joseph’s College.
Over the last five years, the government has declared a war on its own people while simultaneously pitting them against each other, she said. She spoke briefly about her book and how it traces the political scenario of India over the last 30 years. She iterated that although the State was status quoist prior to the incumbent government as well, journalists and activists, such as herself, had some space to exercise their freedom of speech, which she said is no longer the case.
She touched upon topics such as the misuse of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (Uapa) towards religious minorities.
The book was translated by writer-activist Satya S., and its release was followed by a seminar on the theme We the People — in Defence of Democracy .
