Sudha Bharadwaj was arrested this morning amid allegations of Maoist links.
Human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, one of the five activists arrested today over allegations of Maoist links, was lauded by her supporters for her "ability to smile under trying circumstances". Nine activists were raided in six cities in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence in January, in which Dalit activists had clashed with upper-caste Marathas.
Ms Bharadwaj was arrested from her home in Faridabad and taken to Surajkhand police station. Her laptop and several documents were seized.
"A team of 10 people came in the morning. They checked our mobile phones and laptops and took all our passwords," Sudha Bharadwaj's daughter Maaysha said.
The arrests have been described by many as "absolutely chilling" and a "virtual declaration of emergency".
This is "absolutely chilling", said historian and author Ramachandra Guha. "The Supreme Court must intervene to stop this persecution and harassment of independent voices. Sudha Bharadwaj is as far from violence and illegality as Amit Shah is close to those things."
CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat demanded the release of the activists and said, "This is a brazen attack on democratic rights. We are demanding that all the cases against these people be withdrawn and they be released forthwith."
A trade unionist-turned-lawyer at the Chhattisgarh High Court, Ms Bharadwaj was nominated by the High Court to be a member of the Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority. She is a visiting professor at National Law University in Delhi.