India files sedition case over recitation of iconic Pakistani poem
Activists booked under new law for reciting Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry at memorial event in Maharashtra state
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Indian police have filed a sedition case against cultural activists who recited an Urdu poem by renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz at a public memorial event in the central Indian city of Nagpur.
The poem, Hum Dekhenge (“We Shall See”), is considered a powerful anthem of resistance across South Asia. But its performance at a May 13 memorial for actor and activist Vira Sathidar has now led to criminal charges against the event’s organizers. They have been accused of disrupting public order.
The complaint, filed by a local resident, alleges that the poem posed a threat to the government, specifically citing the line “Takht hilaane ki zaroorat hai” (“There is a need to shake the throne”). The actual line in the poem, “Sab takht giraaye jaayenge” (“All thrones will be toppled”), is part of Faiz’s celebrated critique of authoritarianism.
ABP Majha, a Marathi news channel, first flagged the performance as problematic.
According to Indian media, the event was attended by over 150 people and included a speech by social activist Uttam Jagirdar, who criticized the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024.
Civil liberties groups have condemned the draft legislation, arguing it could be used to silence dissent and label activists as “urban Naxals”.
In recent years, Indian authorities and right-wing commentators have used the term “Urban Naxal” to label and discredit left-leaning academics, writers, filmmakers, and human rights defenders — suggesting they are linked to Maoist insurgents.
Sathidar was known for his roles in socially conscious cinema and political writing. His widow, Pushpa Sathidar, has hosted the annual memorial since his death in 2021.
Police have charged the organizers under Section 152 of the recently introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — India’s new criminal code which replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code. Section 152, while not explicitly using the word “sedition,” retains much of the spirit of the repealed sedition law, which had been suspended by India’s Supreme Court in 2022.
The poem was performed by young artists from Samata Kala Manch, a Mumbai-based collective known for cultural resistance. Despite the Supreme Court’s earlier stay on sedition prosecutions, the new law appears to give police renewed legal grounds to pursue similar charges under a different label.
Human rights advocates have sharply criticized the move, warning that criminalizing literary and cultural expression sets a dangerous precedent in a democracy.
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