Anand Teltumbde

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Anand Teltumbde
File:Anand Teltumbde.jpg
Anand Teltumbde in 2020
Born
1951-07-15 (age 75)
Rajur, Bombay State
(now Maharashtra), India


Occupation
Professor, writer



Anand Teltumbde (born 15 July 1951) is an Indian scholar, writer, and human rights activist who is a management professor at the Goa Institute of Management.[1][2][3][4] He has written extensively about the caste system in India and has advocated for the rights of Dalits.[5][6][7]

Teltumbde is a longtime critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he was imprisoned in 2020 along with other activists and intellectuals who were critical of the Modi government.[8] His arrest was condemned by other academics and human rights organizations, and legal experts have said that the charges against him appear to be fabricated.[8][9] He was released on bail in 2022.

Teltumbde was awarded the Basava Puraskara in 2024.

Biography

Teltumbde was born on 15 July 1951 in Rajur, a village in the Yavatmal district of present-day Maharashtra state, to a family of Dalit farm labourers.[1][5] He is the oldest among eight siblings.[10] He is married to Rama Teltumbde who is a granddaughter of B. R. Ambedkar.[5][11] He earned a mechanical engineering degree from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in 1973, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 1982 and a PhD from the University of Mumbai in cybernetic modelling in 1993 while working as an executive at Bharat Petroleum.[10] He was also awarded an honorary doctorate (D.Litt.) from the Karnataka State Open University.[12]

Teltumbde was an Executive Director at Bharat Petroleum and managing director of Petronet India Limited before becoming an academic.[5][13] He was a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and later became a senior professor at the Goa Institute of Management.[14][15][16] He contributes a column titled "Margin Speak" to Economic and Political Weekly,[17] and has also contributed to Outlook,[18] Tehelka,[19] and Seminar.[20][21] His 2018 book, Republic of Caste, is a collection of essays that assesses the position of Dalits in India, including the relationship between caste and class.[22] Teltumbde advocates for a closer relationship between Marxism and the Ambedkarite movements in fighting for Dalit liberation, as well as reform of the reservation system in India.[22]

In January 2024, Teltumbde was awarded the Basava Puraskara by the Government of Karnataka.[23][24][25]

Imprisonment and international reactions

On 29 August 2018, the police raided Teltumbde's home, accusing him of having a connection to the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence and an alleged Maoist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[1][26] Teltumbde denied the allegations and was granted temporary protection from arrest, but he was nevertheless arrested by the Pune police on 3 February 2019 and released later that day.[2][27] After his release, Teltumbde accused the government of harassment and of attempting to criminalize dissent.[28] In the course of the investigation, various others have been critical of the handling of the case, including Supreme Court Justice D. Y. Chandrachud who questioned the biased nature of the investigation by the Maharashtra Police, when hearing a plea on the same.[29]

The Washington Post reported that Teltumbde was arrested as part of "a government crackdown on lawyers and activists" who are critics of Modi.[5] Legal experts have said the charges against Teltumbde appear fabricated.[9][30] More than 600 scholars and academics issued a joint statement in support of Teltumbde, condemning the government's actions as a "witch-hunt" and demanding an immediate halt to the actions against Teltumbde.[31][32] In addition, over 150 organizations and intellectuals—including Noam Chomsky and Cornel West—signed a letter to United Nations secretary general António Guterres, describing the charges as "fabricated" and calling for the UN to intervene.[27]

Teltumbde's mobile phone was hacked by Israeli spyware Pegasus through WhatsApp along with over a dozen other activists, lawyers, and journalists in India.[3][33] Teltumbde had noticed his phone had been "acting up" and was later contacted by Citizen Lab in October 2019.[34]

On 16 March 2020, the Supreme Court of India dismissed Teltumbde's plea for anticipatory bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which makes bail difficult to obtain for accused individuals.[35][36] The Court gave Teltumbde and Navlakha three weeks to surrender.[36] On 8 April, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra ordered Teltumbde to surrender to the National Investigation Agency on 14 April.[37] Historians such as Romila Thapar and organizations including Human Rights Watch condemned the arrest while Amnesty International India expressed disappointment in light of the UNHCHR guidelines to release all political prisoners due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[8][38][39] Teltumbde was denied bail again in July 2021.[40] While imprisoned, he was allowed a weekly two-minute phone call with his wife.[8]

In November 2022, Teltumbde was released from Taloja Central Prison after the Bombay High Court granted him bail and the order was upheld by the Supreme Court.[41][42][43] The court found no prima facie evidence that Teltumbde had been involved in a terrorist act under the UAPA.[44]

Selected publications

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Who is Anand Teltumbde, and why was he arrested recently?. The Hindu(16 February 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Koregaon-Bhima case: HC rejects civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde's plea seeking quashing of FIR. The New Indian Express(21 December 2018). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Indian activists, lawyers accuse government of spying on them. Al Jazeera(1 November 2019). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. ↑ After brother Milind's death, jailed scholar Anand Teltumbde allowed to speak to grieving 90-year-old mother. The Times of India.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 He is a prominent anti-Modi intellectual. The Indian government wants him behind bars., Masih, Niha(21 February 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  6. ↑ Caste in a New Mould, Jodhka, Surinder S.(4 August 2018). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  7. ↑ IIMA faculty speak up in solidarity with Anand Teltumbde, Bhatia, Tanushree(20 January 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Anand Teltumbde: Cards and letters for jailed India scholar as he turns 70. BBC News(15 July 2020).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 India arrests activist Anand Teltumbde over 2018 caste violence. Al Jazeera(14 April 2020).
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Glimpses into the Life of an Engineer, Scholar and Public Intellectual. South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal({Template:Date).
  11. ↑ Elgar Parishad: Dalit Scholar Anand Teltumbde, Activist Gautam Navlakha Surrender Before NIA. Outlook India(14 April 2020). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Court rules against Pune police's Elgaar arrest, Deshmukh, Chaitraly. Mid-day.com(3 February 2019). Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  13. ↑ Anand Teltumbde – Executive Profile. Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  14. ↑ Anand Teltumbde. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  15. ↑ GIM's introduces country's first programme in Big Data Analysis, Malkarnekar, Gauree. The Times of India(29 May 2018). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  16. ↑ Anand Teltumbde. Goa Institute of Management. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  17. ↑ Margin Speak. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  18. ↑ It's Not Red Vs Blue, Teltumbde, Anand(20 August 2012). Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  19. ↑ The false Dalit of capital, Teltumbde, Anand(24 May 2011). Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  20. ↑ Identity politics and the annihilation of castes, Teltumbde, Anand. india-seminar.com(28 February 2012). Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Corruption and injustice, Teltumbde, Anand. india-seminar.com(30 July 2011). Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Template:Cite magazine
  23. ↑ Civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde chosen for Basava Award; Na. D'Souza gets Pampa Prashasti. The Hindu(25 January 2024).
  24. ↑ 'A small streak of light': Seven Bhima Koregaon prisoners congratulate Anand Teltumbde on award. Scroll(4 February 2024).
  25. ↑ 'Never Adjusted Your Stand': 9 Elgar Accused Congratulate Anand Teltumbde From Jail. The Wire(February 5, 2024).
  26. ↑ Elgaar Parishad: Prosecution claims to have evidence to show Teltumbde involved in insurgent activities, Kulkarni, Sushant(30 January 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Indian Professor Who Compared Modi to Hitler Is Waiting to Be Jailed. The New York Times(20 February 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  28. ↑ "Urban Naxal An Oxymoron," Says Activist Anand Teltumbde Accused In Koregaon-Bhima Case, Chitnis, Purva. NDTV(5 February 2019). Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  29. ↑ Bhima-Koregaon Case: Justice Chandrachud Questions Maharashtra Police Impartiality In Elgar Parishad Probe. www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  30. ↑ Urban Maoist Fakery. South Asian Intelligence Review({Template:Date).
  31. ↑ Academics Demand Dropping Charges Against Teltumbde, Other Activists. The Wire (India)(7 February 2019). Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  32. ↑ U.S., European scholars come out in support of Teltumbde. The Hindu(7 February 2019). Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  33. ↑ WhatsApp confirms: Israeli spyware was used to snoop on Indian journalists, activists. The Indian Express(1 November 2019). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  34. ↑ Spyware targeted prominent human rights activists in Maharashtra. The Hindu(1 November 2019).
  35. ↑ Anand Teltumbde: India activist surrenders over Bhima Koregaon violence charges. BBC News(14 April 2020).
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Bhima Koregaon case: SC refuses anticipatory bail to Navlakha, Teltumbde, gives 3 weeks to surrender. Outlook. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  37. ↑ Elgar Parishad case | Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha surrender to NIA. The Hindu(14 April 2020). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  38. ↑ 'Especially Inhuman': Romila Thapar, Others Write to CJI Bobde On Teltumbde, Navlakha. The Wire. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  39. ↑ SC decision to send activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde to jail 'disappointing': Amnesty. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  40. ↑ Elgar case: Mumbai court rejects bail plea of activist Anand Teltumbde. Business Standard India(12 July 2021).
  41. ↑ Bhima Koregaon: NIA court allows Anand Teltumbde to travel to Bengaluru to receive Basava Rashtriya Puraskar award – The Leaflet. The Leaflet(30 January 2024).
  42. ↑ Prison not reform centre as claimed, it's centre of sadism: Prof Anand Teltumbde. The New Indian Express(1 August 2023).
  43. ↑ Human Rights Defender Anand Teltumbde released on bail. Front Line Defenders(7 December 2022). Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  44. ↑ 'Sad we spent time in jail in fake case': Anand Teltumbde. The Indian Express(27 November 2022).
  45. ↑ Radical Ambedkar: Analysing divergent personas of the leader, Bhardwaj, Ashutosh. Financial Express(17 February 2019). Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  46. ↑ Anand Teltumbde. Jacobin(23 October 2018). Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Anand Teltumbde. Penguin Books India. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  48. ↑ The Persistence of Caste – The Khairlanji Murders and India's Hidden Apartheid{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}

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