New Delhi- The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has strongly condemned the issuance of a notice by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Manjeet, a labour rights activist associated with the Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS) in Sonipat, Haryana. The organisation has alleged that the move is part of a broader pattern of using anti-terror laws to suppress democratic dissent and criminalise labour movements.
In a press statement, CASR asserted that the notice, issued in connection with the Lucknow Conspiracy Case (RC-01/2023/NIA/Lucknow), is not an isolated incident. The group claims the case has been systematically expanded to target activists, students, and democratic voices across northern India, drawing parallels to the Bhima Koregaon case.
The activist group highlighted that Manjeet had previously been subjected to illegal detention and torture during a crackdown in March 2026. CASR alleged that he was "illegally picked up" by the Delhi Police Special Cell and interrogated by Intelligence Bureau officials before being released. The new NIA notice is seen as a continuation of this harassment, where victims of alleged custodial abuse face further persecution.
The earlier arrests of Priyanshu Kashyap, Advocate Ajay Singhal, and documentary filmmaker Vishal Singh in connection with this case demonstrate a clear pattern of using anti-terror laws to suppress democratic movements. The issuance of a notice to Manjeet further exposes the continuing attempt to silence labour organising in the industrial belts of North India.
Manjeet has been actively associated with the Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, organising workers in the Kundli industrial area of Haryana, where thousands of industrial workers continue to struggle for better wages, safe working conditions, and labour rights.
The repeated targeting of organisers from this region reveals a deliberate strategy to weaken workers' movements by branding labour activists as conspirators or extremists. Instead of addressing workers' grievances, investigative agencies are being used to intimidate those who stand with the working class.
The group called for an end to the "criminalisation of labour movements" and the protection of constitutional rights to freedom of speech and association. Other demands:
- Immediately withdraw the NIA notice issued to Manjeet .
- Quash FIR No. RC-01/2023/NIA/Lucknow, which is being misused to target democratic activists.
- Immediately release all activists arrested or detained in connection with this fabricated case.
- Conduct an independent investigation into the illegal abduction, custodial torture, and unlawful detention of Manjeet and other activists detained during the March 2026 crackdown.
- Hold accountable all officials involved in illegal detention, torture, and custodial abuse.
- End the criminalisation of labour movements, student organisations, and democratic dissent.
- Protect the constitutional rights to freedom of speech, association, and peaceful protest.
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