New Delhi: Over 350 Indian academics, researchers, legal experts, artists, and civil society members issued a statement on Thursday, June 1, strongly condemning the interrogation of researcher, author and activist Dr. Navsharan Singh by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).Singh was summoned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and interrogated on May 10. She was an active supporter of and participant in the farmers’ protests, which led to Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolling back three contentious farm laws his government had introduced. She is also on the board of Aman Biradari, a trust headed by rights activist Harsh Mander.“Dr. Navsharan Singh’s elongated interrogation by the ED appears to follow a pattern similar to the questioning of many other academics and human rights activists in recent years, wherein the constitutional rights of citizens and their legitimate critical evaluation of state policies and practices are sought to be curtailed. The PMLA is a dark spot on Indian democracy,” the statement said. It also emphasised that Singh is a scholar of the highest integrity and a well-known researcher in the fields of agriculture, women’s rights, farmers and peace. Her work has called for policy attention to the struggles of poor farmers, forest dwellers, Dalit women and other underprivileged communities. The signatories pointed out that “government policies have themselves emphasised the economic and social inclusion of India’s poor and marginalised”, hence Dr Singh “should be seen as furthering these very objectives”. Noting that the PMLA “is a dark spot on Indian democracy”, the signatories urged the government and the ED to cease the persecution of eminent scholars who have upheld constitutional values. The full letter and the list of signatories are reproduced below.§We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the recent interrogation and intimidation, without any specific charges, of Dr. Navsharan Singh by the Enforcement Directorate under the PMLA. Dr. Singh is a scholar of the highest integrity. She is a well-known researcher in the fields of agriculture, women’s rights, farmers and peace. She has written extensively on informal sector workers, MSMEs, agrarian change, and the vulnerability of internally displaced people affected by sectarian violence. Her work has called policy attention to the struggles of poor farmers, forest dwellers, Dalit women and other underprivileged people to eke out sustainable livelihoods. Government policies have consistently emphasized the economic and social inclusion of India’s poor and marginalized. Dr. Singh, in highlighting their struggles based on her laborious and insightful fieldwork, should be seen as furthering these very objectives. It is not possible to make relevant policies without critical analysis.Dr. Singh is excellently placed to provide such analysis. She holds an MA and PhD from Carleton University – one of Canada’s top universities — and was honoured by the University in 2017 as one of its 75 most distinguished alumni. She has also worked at Rohtak University, the National Council for Applied Economics Research (NCAER), and the International Development Research Council, before resigning from IDRC in 2021 to pursue her research more consistently. Dr. Navsharan Singh’s elongated interrogation by the ED appears to follow a pattern similar to the questioning of many other academics and human rights activists in recent years, wherein the constitutional rights of citizens and their legitimate critical evaluation of state policies and practices are sought to be curtailed. The PMLA is a dark spot on Indian democracy.As academics, scholars, researchers, and concerned citizens we stand in solidarity with Navsharan Singh and others who have upheld constitutional values and the rights of India’s underprivileged. We call upon the government and the enforcement agencies to cease their unwarranted persecution. Our eminent scholars are India’s pride and need to be treated as such. Signed/-Complete list of signatories by broad professional categories: Sr no.NameDesignationACADEMICS AND RESEARCHERS1Ravi SrivastavaProfessor (Retd.), Delhi2Bikramaditya ChoudharyProfessor, Delhi3Bina AgarwalProfessor, Delhi4B S ButolaProfessor, Delhi5Rekha RajanProfessor (Retd.), Delhi6Mridula MukherjeeProfessor (retired), Delhi7Harbans MukhiaFormer Professor and Rector, Delhi8Lakhwinder SinghProfessor, Patiala9Zoya HasanProfessor Emerita, Delhi10S. D. MuniProfessor Emeritus, Delhi11Ranjit Singh GhumanFormer Professor & Head, Patiala12Surinder KumarProfessor (Retd.), Rohtak13Dr Kesar Singh BhangooFormer Dean & Professor, Patiala14Padmini SwaminathanIndependent Researcher, Chennai15Sucha Singh Gill Professor (Retd.), Patiala.16Dr Sukhwinder SinghProfessor (Retd.), Patiala17Dr Gurjit Singh BhathalAssistant Professor, Punjab18Harjit SinghProfessor (Retired), Delhi19Anuradha chenoyProfessor (Retd), Delhi20Sumangala DamodaranProfessor, Delhi21Praveena KodothProfessor, Trivandrum22Baldev Singh ShergillAssistant Professor, Punjab23Ira BhaskarProfessor (Retd), Delhi24Chaman LalProfessor (Retd), Delhi25Surajit MazumdarProfessor, Delhi26Baldeep SinghProfessor (Retd.)27Sucharita SenProfessor, Delhi28Brahma PrakashAssistant professor, Delhi29Pramod YadavaProfessor (Retd), Delhi30Asha PuriTeacher (Retd)31AtiyaProfessor (Retd), Delhi32Chirashree Das GuptaAssociate Professor, Delhi33Milap SharmaProfessor34Dharminder SinghProfessor 35Amit ThoratAssistant Professor36Ritu DewanProfessor & Director (Retd), Mumbai37Achin VanaikProfessor (Retd), Delhi38Balbir Singh ButolaProfessor, Delhi39Peggy MohanProfessor, Delhi40Ravi DuggalPublic Health Researcher41Sharmila PurkayasthaIndependent Scholar42Avinash KumarAcademic, Delhi43Aasha Kapur MehtaProfessor, Delhi44SeemaIndependent researcher45Moushumi BasuAcademic, Delhi46S. Sauel Asir RajProfessor47Kishor JoseFaculty, Gujarat48Vibhuti PatelTeacher (Retd)49Sushil KhannaProfessor (Retd), Calcutta50Mumtaz KhanFormer Associate Professor, Delhi51Anita RampalEducationist52Dilip SimeonResearch scholar53Vikas RawalProfessor, Delhi54Romar CorreaIndependent Researcher55Sandhya KumariProfessor56Shipra NigamResearch Scholar57Nandita NarainAssociate Professor, Delhi58Indu AgnihotriResearcher59Wandana SonalkarProfessor (Retd), Mumbai60Dr. Rosemary DzuvichuProfessor, Nagaland61Indira KrishnaswamiRetired educationist62Susie TharuProfessor (Retd), Hyderabad63Shamsul IslamFormer faculty, Delhi64Rama MelkoteProfessor (Retd), Hyderabad65Ravinder GoelRetired teacher, Delhi 66Meera VelayudhanPolicy Analyst67Ashwini DeshpandeProfessor, Delhi68Achin ChakrabortyProfessor, Kolkata69Raina GhoshResearch Scholar, Delhi70Sonali BhatiaPhD Scholar, Delhi71Sachidanand SinhaFormer Professor, Delhi72Anvita AbbiProfessor, Delhi73Shireen MoosviProfessor (Redt), Delhi74Paromita SenResearch Director75Lakshmi LingamProfessor (Retd), Mumbai.76Satyaki RoyAssociate Professor77Jeemol UnniProfessor of Economics, Ahmedabad78Pramod KumarAcademic79RakhiAssociate Professor80Narasimha Reddy DProfessor (Rtd), Hyderabad81Meera SamsonResearcher82Bir SinghAssociate Professor83Rohit AzadAcademic, Delhi84Naushad Ali AzadProfessor (Retd)85Manmohan SinghProfessor of English ( Retd.), Patiala86Harish DhawanAcademic, Delhi87Dr. NeeluAssistant Professor88AparajayScientist89Lata SinghAssociate Professor, Delhi90Udaya KumarAcademic, Delhi91D. K. LobiyalProfessor92Jeroo MullaSophia Polytechnic93Sushama JainRetired Professor, Delhi94Santosh DasAcademic, Delhi95Anita DigheRetired Professional96Paaritosh NarhFaculty, APU, Bangalore97Saswata GhoshResearcher, Kolkata98Yogendra SamyakAssistant Professor99Siva Prasad RambhatlaRetired Professor, Hyderabad100Atanu SenguptaProfessor101Neeraj MalikRetired Professor, Delhi102Jaya MehtaResearcher103Amita PitreIndependent Researcher and Development Practitioner104Manjeet bhatiaIndependent academic105Beena PLProfessor, Trivandrum106Shinu VarkeyAssistant Professor & Head, Economics, Kerala107Ajmer Singh KajalProfessor, Delhi108Vyjayanti RaghavanRetd Professor109Surinder KumarProfessor110Jaspal BhatiaRetd college teacher, Amritsar111Dulali NagRetired Academic112Namita RanganathanDelhi University113Madhumati DuttaRetired Professor and Dean114Madhura SwaminathanProfessor, Bengaluru115Rajinder ChaudharyFormer Prof of Economics, Rohtak116Kulwant NehraFaculty117SunilPGT ECO118MukeshPrincipal119Tapasi BiswasAssociate professor120Surasri ChadhuriAssociate Professor, Kolkata121Rukmini Bhaya NairProfessor, Delhi122SarojProfessor, Haryana123Rajeev BhargavaProfessor, Delhi124Somjita LahaIndependent Researcher125Surinder S. JodhkaProfessor, New Delhi126Deepa KumariPrincipal Retd127Paramita RoychowdhuryAssociate Professor128Aasha RameshWomen Rights Researcher129Prof Santosh MehrotraResearcher130Pramod GouriAssociate professor (Retd.)131Kavita SharmaRetired Professor132Hema SwaminathanProfessor, Bengaluru133Manoranjan MohantyProfessor (Retd), Delhi134Govind KelkarIndependent Academic135Sujata PatelRetd Professor, Hyderabad136J DevikaFeminist Scholar137Radhika ChopraProfessor [Retd], Delhi138Rahul LahotiResearcher139Mariam DossalProf of History (Retd), Mumbai140RajeshAcademic, Rohtak141Vinoj AbrahamProfessor, Thiruvananthapuram142Rajni PalriwalaProfessor 143Ayesha KidwaiProfessor, Delhi144Shalmali GuttalResearcher145Soma Kishore ParthasarathyIndependent researcher146Ameet parameswaranAcademic, Delhi147Indira HirwayProfessor of economics148G ArunimaProfessor and Director, KCHR, Thiruvananthapuram149Narendra PanjwaniResearch Scholar150Arun KumarRetd. Professor151Radhika singhaProfessor (Retd)152Parnal ChirmuleyAcademic, Delhi153Patricia UberoiProfessor (Retd)154Ranjani MazumdarProfessor155ameet parameswaranAcademic Delhi156Shikha JhinganAssociate Professor, Delhi157Bishnupriya DuttProfessor, Delhi158Sarmistha NathAssociate Professor159Riaz AhmadProfessor, Delhi160Rama V. BaruProfessor, Delhi161Bidisha DharAssistant professor, Tripura 162Shikha JhinganAssociate Professor, Delhi163Vijay Kumar YadavenduAssociate Professor164Nilanjana SenguptaResearcher & Teacher, Bengaluru165RanjanaRetd. Prof.of History, Allahabad166Prabha KrishnanWomen’s Studies Scholar167Dr Ajay Kumar MeenaProfessor, Rajasthan168Vikas BajpaiAssistant Professor, Delhi169Nivedita MenonProfessor, Delhi170Pradip DattaRetired Professor, Delhi171Vijay Kumar YadavenduAssociate Professor172Meena DhandaUniversity Professor173Bratati PandeRetd Associate Professor, Delhi 174Iqbal SinghRetd Academic, Delhi175Rupinder kaurAcademic, Delhi176Imrana Qadeerretired Professor, Delhi177Deepak MishraAcademic, Delhi178Nira GoyalRetired academic, Delhi179Ratna SudarshanEconomist, Delhi180Smitha FrancisConsultant Economist181Jahnvi AndhariaSocial scientist, Delhi182Indra MunshiSocial scientist, Mumbai183Sonalde DesaiDemographer184Sudeshna SenguptaIndependent Researcher and Consultant185Anjana MangalagiriRetired AcademicPROFESSIONALS (law, medicine, development, etc)186Amita JosephAdvocate187Indira jaisingSenior Advocate188Sr.Mary ScariaProfessional189B D SandhuNurse190Deepak SananRetired civil servant191Areet KaurDoctor192Ajay RathRetired Bank Executive193Sehjo SinghDevelopment Professional194ParmeetaDentist195Adv Dr Shalu NigamLawyer196Dr. P. PrasanthiDevelopment professional197Ranjana KanhereSocial worker198LissySocial Work199Shilpa VasavadaIndependent professional200Kirti SinghAdvocate201Parvinder PalIndependent consultant202Flavia AgnesAdvocate203Shah Alam KhanProfessor of Orthopaedics, 204Dr Mira ShivaPublic Health Physician205ChakravartyAdvocate206Indu CapoorFounder Director (Emeritus)207Purvi VyasDevelopmental professional and organic farmer208Satish AgnihotriDevelopment professionalJOURNALISTS, WRITERS, ARTISTS, ETC209Pamela PhiliposeIndependent journalist210Sujit JohnJournalist211Arjun GourisariaFilmmaker212Satyendra Ranjanjournalist213Joya RoyFreelance editor214Madhavi KuckrejaSanatkada215Ranjita BiswasIndependent journalist216Sheba ChhachhiIndependent Artist/photographer217Rahul VarmaPlaywright, Artistic Director218Lola NayarJournalist219Samik BandyopadhyayPublisher-editor220Ritu MenonPublisher, writer221Ritambhara ShastriJournalist222Rukmani AnandaniWriter223Akhileshwari RamagoudJournalist and Academic224Vineet TiwariPoet, Writer225UrmileshJournalist & Author226Sevanti NinanColumnist227John DayalWriter activist228Lotika SinghaWriter229Rohini HensmanWriter and independent scholar230Deepa DhanrajResearcher/ Filmmaker231Maya RaoTheatre artist232Laxmi MurthyMedia233Dushyant AroraLawyer, Writer, Columnist.234Abha ChoudhuriFreelance cartographer235Rajashri DasguptaIndependent Journalist236Sujata MadhokJournalist237AmbikaFreelance editor238Susmita SinhaFilm maker239Pro-People Arts Project media groupChief editor, Sarokaran di awaz240Neelima SharmaNishant Natya ManchCIVIL SOCIETY PRACTITIONERS241Chinmayi NaikNational Coordinator, Working Peoples’ Coalition242Jagir JosanHuman rights243Dave DuhrePunjabi Thinkers Forum244Maimoona MollahAIDWA, Delhi245Renu KhannaFeminist Policy Collective246Dr. Punyabrata GunShramajibi Swasthya Udyog & Swasthya Shiksha Nirman247Poonam KaushikPragatisheel Mahila Sangathan, Delhi248Joyanti SenSachetana249Amiya kumar MohantyJoint Forum for Movement on Education, National Convenor250KanupriyaActivist251K.SajayaWomen and Transgender organizations JAC252Tejaswini MadabhushiHyderabad for Feminism253S.L.padmaIFTU254Madhuchhanda KarlekarSachetana feminists255Maria TabassumTelangana for Peace and Unity256Jasveen JairathProgressive Farmers Front257Ramesh DixitSamvidhan Bachao Desh Bachao Abhiyan, Uttar Pradesh258Renuka MishraCivil society259Nisha AgrawalFormer CEO, Delhi260Sharanya NayakRangmatipadar Adivasi commune261Rajaraman SundaresanRangmatipadar Adivasi commune262Gade jhansiProgressive organisation of women, Telangana state president l.263Rachana MudraboyinaTransgender people rights activist264Anuradha DeDirector, CORD265Suneeta DharActivist266Afaque AzadBharat Bachao Aandoln267Vivekanand TripathiSocial media Activist268Chandan KumarLabour Rights Activist269Ajit PatilCPI ML Liberation270AmitaAIDWA, Haryana271Himmat Singh RatnooFormer Secretary, Teachers’ Association272Dr V Rukmini RaoFeminist Activist273Naresh PrernaConvenor, Jatan Natya Kendar, Haryana274Sukla SenPeace Activist275Sangam TripathyAdvisor, Indian Federation of App based Transport Workers276Sushovan DharLabour activist277Virendra Singh MalikCITU State Committee 278Sagari RamdasVeterinary Scientist, Food Sovereignty Alliance279Shaik SalauddinState President280Dunu RoyCivil society281Anil ChaudharyChief Educator, PEACE282Dr. Ashish MitalGeneral Secretary, AIKMS283Kavita SrivastavaPUCL284Ranbir Singh DahiyaEC member HGVSOTHER CONCERNED CITIZENS (across the country)285Sudhir Katiyar 286Sumitra287Ranjan Chakraborty 288Balbir Rattu289Pravin Nadkar 290Aishwarya Bhuta291Selvyn Jussy292Anna abraham293Seemantini Gupta294Anil Rai295Amit Narkar296AS Vasantha297Jyothi298Gutta jyothsna299Prachi Jha 300Sangeeta Ghosh 301Madhu Bhaduri302Azimullah Ansari303Shantha Sinha304Jasmine Mann305Sonal Raghuvanshi306Naazneen307Reena Mohan308Bobby Bhatia309Dolon Ganguly310Mukta Naik 311Meenu Vadera312Claire Noronha313Kalpana Bandiwdekar314Gijs Spoor315Mini Bedi316Mahnoor317A.M.Padmanabhan318Omprakash Kushwaha319Dev Nathan320Lalitha Krishna321Debabrata Pal 322Meghna 323Satish Mohan 324Rakhi Sehgal325Dhiraj Barman326Dhruv327Vanita N Mukherjee 328Swarna Rajagopalan 329Anjali Ojha 330Lourdes Mary S 331Rita Anand 332T bhattacharya 333Amar Jesani334Sunil Talreja335Mallarika Sinha Roy336Tanushree. Gangopadhyay337Rajeev singha 338Nisha Srivastava 339Sarojini N 340Deepa341Vijay Lakshmi Dikshit342Hardeep343Murad Banaji344राकेश गर्ग345pardeep346Amitgarg347Karan348Shweta Damle349Shambhavi Prakash350Anita S.351-359OTHERSNine persons