More than 100 film makers, academics, journalists and artists from India have demanded the immediate release of Himalmedia co-publisher Kanak Mani Dixit.
In a petition to Prime Minister KP Oli on Friday, they said 'they had looked at the background to Dixit's arrest' and 'the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Chief Lok Man Singh Karki has been running a personal vendetta because Dixit had protested his appointment in 2013 on the grounds that Karki had been indicted by the Rayamajhi Commission for suppressing the people's movement'.
The petition stated: 'Nepal should be proud of Dixit instead of putting him in jail'.
Dixit was arrested by the anti-graft body on last Friday on the charge of 'amassing disproportionate wealth' by 'abusing his power as the Chair of Sajha Yatayat'.
But the Himalmedia chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has said that Dixit is clean and his arrest is 'an act of vengeance' by the CIAA. The Supreme Court has already ordered the CIAA to explain in writing why he was detained.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN) have already condemned Dixit's arrest. In Nepal, the FNJ and the Nepal Press Union have also demanded Dixit's release.
Here is the full text of petition signed by 112 film makers, academics, journalists and artists from India for Dixit's release
To
Shri Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Prime Minister, Nepal
Subject: Petition for the Immediate Release of Kanak Mani Dixit
Dear Sir,
We, film makers, writers, academics and artists from India, are shocked and dismayed at the news of Shri. Kanak Mani Dixit’s arrest in Kathmandu. Kanak Mani Dixit is a much loved and admired figure in media and cultural spheres across South Asia. At a time when conflict and nationalist rhetoric is tearing apart the myriad ways in which we share a cultural past and present, he has tirelessly strived to forge bonds of friendship and peace in South Asia. Through his writings and other initiatives like HIMAL and Film South Asia, Kanak Mani Dixit has enthused people from across the region to imagine and work towards a peaceful, safe and ecologically sane South Asia. Today this man who Nepal and other South Asians should be proud of is being treated as a common criminal, put under detention as punishment.
We have looked at the background to his arrest and it seems fairly clear that the intention is to harass and intimidate rather than investigate alleged corruption charges. It is ironical that the arrest has been made at the behest of an agency called – Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority. Mr. Lokman Singh Karki as Chairman of this Authority has been running a personal vendetta because Mr. Dixit had protested his appointment in 2013 on the grounds that Mr. Karki had been indicted by the Rayamajhi Commission for suppressing the people’s movement, which led to the end of monarchy in Nepal. If at all, it is Mr. Karki himself who should be under investigation for abuse of authority now and during the people’s movement.
We demand the immediate release of Kanak Mani Dixit.
Yours Sincerely,
1. Aditya Seth | Film maker
2. Amar Kanwar | Film maker
3. Amit Mahanti | Film maker
4. Ammu Joseph | Journalist/Author
5. Amudhan R P. | Film maker
6. Anand Patwardhan | Film maker
7. Ananya Chakraborti | Film maker
8. Anjali Monteiro | Film Maker & Academic
9. Anjum Rajabali | Screenwriter & Professor
10. Ann Ninan | Journalist
11. Anupama Srinivasan | Filmmaker
12. Arvind Sinha. Film Maker.
13. Ashavari Majumdar | Performer
14. Avijit Mukul Kishore | Filmmaker
15. Benny Benedict | Film Activist
16. Biju Toppo | Filmmaker
17. Bina Sarkar Ellias | Editor/Publisher/Poet/Curator
18. Bishakha Datta Filmmaker
19. Chandita Mukherjee | Filmmaker
20. Chayanika Shah |Researcher and Visiting Faculty, Tata Institute of Social Science
21. Darryl D’Monte | Journalist
22. Deepa Dhanraj | Film maker
23. Deepak Mehta | Professor in Sociology, Shiv Nadar University
24. Faiza | Film maker
25. Farhana Ibrahim | Associate Professor of Sociology, IIT Delhi.
26. G. Arunima | Professor and Chair Centre for Women's Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
27. Gautam Sonti | Filmmaker
28. Geeta Kapur | Critic and curator
29. Hartman de Souza | Theatre activist, writer, teacher
30. Iffat Fatima | Film maker
31. Ilina Sen | Academic
32. Inder Salim | Performance artist
33. Iram Ghufran| Filmmaker
34. Irene Dhar Malik | Film Editor
35. Jabeen Merchant | Film Editor
36. Janaki Abraham | Associate Professor, Delhi University
37. Janaky Sreedharan I Academic
38. Jatin Desai, Journalist
39. Jayasankar K P | Film Maker & Academic
40. Jerry Pinto | Writer
41. K.P. Sasi | Film Maker
42. Kavita Bahl | Film Maker
43. Kavita Joshi | Filmmaker and Media Trainer
44. Lalit Vachani | Filmmaker and Research Scholar, University of Göttingen, Germany
45. Lawrence Liang | Lawyer and legal researcher
46. Madhusree Dutta | Film Maker
47. Mahadeb Shi | Film Maker
48. Meena Menon | Journalist
49. Meghnath | Film Maker
50. Merajur Rahman Baruah | Film Maker
51. Miriam Chandy Menacherry | Film Maker
52. Mohan Rao | Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
53. Meenakshi Shedde | Journalist
54. Mukul Mangalik | Associate Professor of History, Ramjas College, University of Delhi
55. Nakul Singh Sawhney | Film Maker
56. Nandan Saxena | Film Maker
57. Nandita Das | Actor, film Maker
58. Navroze Contractor | Cinematographer
59. Neelima Sharma | Theatre person
60. Nikhil Titus | Film Maker & Academic
61. Nishtha Jain | Film Maker
62. Nivedita Menon, Professor, JNU, India
63. Padmini Ray Murray | Academic
64. Pamela Philipose I Journalist
65. Pankaj Butalia | Film Maker
66. Paromita Vohra | Film Maker
67. Parvez Imam | Arts practitioner / Filmmaker
68. Prabhu Mohapatra | Associate Professor , Department of History, Delhi University
69. Probal Dasgupta | Academic
70. Rahul Roy | Film Maker
71. Rafeeq Elias | Film Maker
72. Rakhi Sehgal | Researcher
73. Ram Puniyani | Writer
74. Ranjani Mazumdar | Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University
75. Ranu Ghosh | Film Maker, Cinematographer
76. Reena Mohan | Film Maker
77. Ruchika Negi | Film maker
78. Rustom Bharucha | Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
79. S.B. Upadhyay |Professor, Indira Gandhi National Open University
80. Saba Dewan | Film Maker
81. Saba Hasan | Artist
82. Sabeena Gadihoke | Associate Professor, AJK, MCRC, Jamia Millia, Islamia, New Delhi
83. Sameera Jain | Film maker, editor
84. Sameera Khan | Journalist; Writer
85. Samina Mishra | Film Maker
86. Shamsul Islam | Author
87. Sania Farooqui | Journalist
88. Sanjay Kak | Film maker
89. Sheba Chhachhi I Photographer
90. Sherna Dastur | Graphic Designer, Film Maker
91. Shikha Jhingan | Associate Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
92. Shikha Sen | Film editor
93. Shilpa Phadke | Academic, School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
94. Shohini Ghosh | Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
95. Shoma A Chatterji | Journalist and Author
96. Shriprakash | Film Maker
97. Stalin K. | Film Maker
98. Subasri Krishnan | Film Maker
99. Subha Das Mollick | Film Maker, academic
100. Sukumar Muralidharan | Journalist
101. Supriyo Sen | Film Maker
102. Surabhi Sharma | Film Maker
103. Sushma Veerappa | Film Maker
104. Swati Dandekar | Film Maker
105. Teena Gill | Film Maker
106. Uma Chakravarti | Feminist historian and filmmaker.
107. Vani Subramanian | Film Maker
108. Venkatesh Chakravarthy | Filmmaker & Academic
109. Vijaya Mulay | Film Maker
110. Vipin Vijay | Filmmaker
111. Vivan Sundaram I Artist
112. Yousuf Saeed | Film Maker