Thread by @nellipiercing

Thread: National Security Act (NSA)

NSA is a provision by which Central & State govts van arrest and detain any persons who they deem prejudicial to the security of the India, for a period of up to 12 months.

The Act is a safeguard for prevention of serious crimes & terrorism.

The authorities have up to 5, and in exceptional cases 10 days to provide the reasons for arrest to the offender. And even then, they can withhold information they deem necessary in “national interest.”

Entirely arbitrary in nature, the NSA has been consistently misused.

Created for prevention of terrorism & situations of high-threat perception, the NSA has found its actual use in detaining activists, minorities, and dissenters over unjustifiable crimes.

Everything from inflammatory speech to alleged cow slaughter has warranted an NSA order.

While National Security is paramount, using it as an excuse to shut down dissent or basic freedoms should be unacceptable to all defenders of democracy.

Joining the NSA in the State’s toolbox are laws like Sedition, UAPA & the PSA (J&K) most recently used for Mufti & Abdullah.

The NSA is supposed to safeguard the interests of the NATION, but it has historically been misused to safeguard the interests of those in power instead. The arrest figures according to a 2001 report stand at a whopping 14,57,779.

That’s 14 lakh people arrested arbitrarily.

Dr. Kafeel Khan @drkafeelkhan and Chandra Shekhar Azad @BhimArmyChief are recent victims of this draconian law being used by the powers that be to suppress, destroy, and break the voices of dissent in our supposed Democracy.

It is up to you and me and the citizens of this country who still care about Democracy to question these actions, loudly and consistently.

They can only get away with so much, and for so long.

Fin.