Radical idealism and poetry are a crime in India, especially if you’re an “untouchable.” A group of young Dalit singers in Pune learnt this the hard way

Kabir Kala Manch is a band of poets and musicians who use their craft to challenge an oppressive caste system and the brutality of India’s neoliberal state. The Indian police have accused them of being Naxalites – left-wing extremists allegedly involved in terrorist activities. Some of the members of this band have been arrested while others have been forced to go underground.

In a country that has seen a ceaseless stream of atrocities against Dalits – considered the lowest of the low castes in the Hindu caste hierarchy – this group of radical Dalit idealists chose to question the system that had continued to oppress them over hundreds of years. The group was formed after the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, over a decade ago. They have since championed the cause of India’s downtrodden slum-dwellers and the impoverished working classes.

One of the country’s best-known documentary filmmakers, Anand Patwardhan, has captured their skills on camera in his recent movie Jai Bhim Comrade, which will be screened at the Tate Modern this Sunday. Patwardhan will be present for the screening.

Patwardhan is also behind the Kabir Kala Manch Defence Committee, which has lent support to the group of young singers. Patwardhan has donated the Rs. 51,000 that he received from the Maharashtra state government for a national award he won for his film, towards the Defence Committee.

The Kabir Kala Manch Defence Committee points out that the police have not accused the group of any direct instances of violence, but have held them guilt by association. 

Kabir Kala Manch is not the only group of social activists in India to have been falsely branded Naxalites. While Naxalites are reported to operate in several parts of India and have been accused of carrying out terrorist activities against the Indian state, many prominent civil society and democracy activists from around the country have been arrested and tortured on false charges of being Naxalites.

Take for instance Dr Binayak Sen, a social activist who has worked with tribals in impoverished parts of rural India. His arrest, and the accusations against him for being a red terrorist, led to a global outcry. He was finally released as the charges against him were insubstantial. Arun Ferreira, a young man from Mumbai who has fought for the country’s poor and marginalised, was also arrested on false charges of being a Naxalite. Ferreira has written a detailed account of how he was tortured in jail. In a bid to prevent members of Kabir Kala Manch from being tortured in jail, Amnesty international has come out in support of the group.

Struggling against an oppressive, neoliberal state in India that has marginalised the left and branded protesters as terrorists, Kabir Kala Manch deserves our support.

Activists are organising a meeting to discuss the issue at Firebox on Thursday, 1 August, 6.30pm. A screening of the film is taking place at the Tate Modern, Sunday, 28 July, 3pm.