Lawyers from the Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) have expressed concern over the arrest of advocate Surendra Gadling in Nagpur, saying that it was part of a larger pattern wherein lawyers fighting cases of marginalised people were being targeted.
Mr. Gadling was arrested from his house early on Wednesday in relation to the violence at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune in January when Dalits congregated to celebrate the British victory over Peshwas with the help of Mahar soldiers.
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Head of the English department at Nagpur University Shoma Sen, Marathi poet Sudhir Dhavale, Rona Wilson of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners and anti-displacement activist Mahesh Raut have also been arrested.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, IAPL vice-president Sudha Bharadwaj said Mr. Gadling’s arrest was part of a pattern where “people’s lawyers” were being targeted. Advocates Upendra Nayak of Odisha, Murugan of Tamil Nadu and Satyendra Chaubey of Chhattisgarh too “have been implicated, which is absolutely unacceptable as per the United Nations principles”, a release from the IAPL said.