Chhattisgarh police are investigating a complaint filed against well-known writer Arundhati Roy for her 32 page essay �Walking with the comrades�. The article, the complaint said, "glorified� the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and sought to justify its activities.
The complainant, a Chhattisgarh-based social worker Vishwajit Mitra, has lodged a complaint at the Telibanda police station in the state capital, pointing out that the essay�published in the March 29 issue of Outlook magazine�and photographs could come under the purview of an offence under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act-2005.
Confirming receipt of the complaint against Arundhati Roy, Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan said that it had been referred to the legal department.
This is clearly an attempt to cordon off the theatre of war and choke the flow of critical information coming out of the forests, Ms Roy said in a statement, adding, �I think it is crucial for the people of the country to know what is going on, on the other side, in order to make informed decisions.�
Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act-2005, which is in force in Chhattisgarh, is alleged to be a draconian law that empowers the police to detain anyone in jail for a longer period. Human Rights activist Dr Binayak Sen was in jail for nearly two years after his arrest on the charges of having links with the Maoists. He was released after the Supreme Court granted him bail. The case is still progressing in the trial court.