The International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) South Asia has condemned last March 16 what it described as a pattern of “forceful abductions” carried out by Indian state forces, following the recent detention and subsequent release of 10 political activists in Delhi.
In a statement issued on March 16, the regional formation of ILPS both welcomed the activists’ release and raised alarm over continuing state repression targeting student leaders, labor organizers, and anti-displacement campaigners across India.
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According to ILPS, the group of 10 activists, comprising students, labor rights organizers, and anti-displacement advocates, were detained last week by Delhi Police without warrants, access to legal counsel, or timely presentation before a magistrate, in violation of established legal procedures.
The students were affiliated with Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM) and Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM), while labor activists were members of Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, a grassroots union organizing informal and migrant workers, particularly in industrial areas of Haryana.
Many of those detained were also involved in broader civil rights platforms, including the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), which has campaigned against counterinsurgency operations and for the release of political prisoners.
ILPS South Asia emphasized that the recent abductions are not isolated incidents, but part of a recurring pattern of repression. Several of the activists had reportedly been subjected to similar detentions in previous months, including a wave of arrests and disappearances in July 2025 targeting members of BSCEM and FACAM across Delhi and Haryana. In those cases, activists were also allegedly held without warrants and denied access to legal representation.
The organization further alleged that detainees have been subjected to police brutality, including torture, beatings, and prolonged illegal detention.
Among those named was Shiv Kumar, a labor organizer with Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, who has previously faced arrest, detention, and physical abuse. Kumar had earlier been detained during protests linked to the Singhu Border farmers’ protest, a mass mobilization against agricultural reforms widely criticized for enabling corporate control of farming.
The detained activists had been involved in organizing activities for an upcoming Anti-Imperialism Week later in March, raising concerns among rights groups that the arrests were intended to disrupt political organizing and dissent.
ILPS South Asia argued that such actions reflect a broader strategy of suppressing grassroots movements opposing displacement, labor exploitation, and militarization.
“It is of deep concern that these activists are being abducted again and again,” the statement read, highlighting the cycle of detention, release, and re-arrest faced by organizers.
The organization called for accountability for Indian state forces and an end to what it described as systematic violations of civil and political rights. It also urged wider solidarity with activists and movements facing repression, warning that continued state violence against dissenters poses serious implications for democratic rights in the country.
