Demanding the immediate release of its arrested vice-president Dr Binayak Sen, the People’s Union of Civil Liberties has called for repeal of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (2005). The organisation has also demanded immediate disbanding of the Salwa Judum.

In a statement, former PUCL president Justice Rajinder Sachar demanded that the “draconian law”, under which more than 35 people have been arrested so far, be scrapped. “Such laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, have no place in a democratic country like India,” he said. Sachar also raised the issue of how the state Government had been identifying civil liberties activists with extremist activity. “This being the case how would one defend human rights?” he asked. He also asked whether a human rights activist should be implicated if he condemns human rights violations in the process of containing Maoist extremists.