Repressive tactics

#Repressive Tactics

The Kerala government has increasingly relied on repressive tactics to silence dissent, as evidenced by the recent High Court verdict quashing the case against Congress workers who merely waved black flags in protest. 

This is part of a disturbing pattern where the state authorities file cases for trivial acts of protest, weaponizing the legal system to intimidate political opponents and suppress democratic expression. 

Such behavior erodes the principles of free speech and protest that are fundamental to any democracy. The government must stop using the police as tools of oppression and focus on addressing the root causes of public discontent rather than criminalizing dissent.

What is happening in Kerala is nothing short of a "Police Raj," where law enforcement is misused to harass and intimidate citizens who dare to voice their disagreement with the government. The legal system is being manipulated to incarcerate protesters for the most minor acts of defiance, such as waving a flag, which in any functional democracy should be considered a legitimate form of protest.

This abuse of power reflects a government that is more interested in stifling criticism than in engaging with its citizens' concerns. It’s high time the Kerala government recognizes the damage it is doing to the democratic fabric of the state and ends these oppressive practices immediately.

-K A Solaman