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#1 DALIT & TRIBAL WATCH : TN and WB The Indian Express, September 13, 2004, Monday 1) TAMIL NADU: Here Dalits Can't Run For A Reserved Post Near Amma??™s seat, upper caste Thevars block Dalit road to panchayats RADHA VENKATESAN MADURAI, SEPTEMBER 12: They are just three little dots on the map of Madurai district in southern Tamil Nadu. But Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam??”near Chief Minister Jayalalithaa??™s Andipatti constituency??”are fast becoming big blotches of shame on the map of Indian democracy. For several years now, the upper caste Thevars in these three villages have not let a Dalit occupy the panchayat president??™s post, reserved exclusively for Scheduled Castes. http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=55010 ------------------ AHRC, September 11, 2004, Monday, UA-116-2004 2) WEST BENGAL: Tribal Boy Dies Due To Torture INDIA: Young boy died and other two boys severely injured by brutal torture The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an 11-year-old boy named Khokan Hembram died due to severe assault by Mr. Ujjal Laha and his hired goons who suspected him as a theft without any evidence in Dohali village, Sagardighi Police Station, Murshidabad District, West Bengal on 5 September 2004. It was reported that another two boys named Byasdev Dolui and Munna Das were also brutally beaten and are in bad condition. Mr. Ujjal Laha was practicing medicine on the pretext of being a qualified doctor, though he had no medical qualification from the Indian Medical Council, which is prerequisite for practicing medicine in India. The Sagardighi police identified all the nine perpetrators but they only arrested the two among the nine. In particular, the main perpetrator Ujjal Laha walks outside freely without being arrested by the police even though his name is on the accused list. The villagers claim that he has bribed the police as he is a rich man of the village. Your urgent action is required to pressure the local authorities to arrest all the perpetrators quickly and bring them to justice as soon as possible. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) DETAILED INFORMATION: Name of the victims: 1) Khokan Hembram, about 11 years old, 2) Byasdev Dolui, about 10 years old, 3) Munna Das, about 10 years old (All the three belong to the scheduled tribes, Adivasi) Alleged perpetrators: 1) Ujjal Laha, (main perpetrator), 2) nine goons hired by Ujjal Laha (already identified by the Sagardighi police) Date of incident: 5 September 2004 from 11:00 am onwards. Place of incident: Dohali village, Sagardighi Police Station, Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India Account of the incident: Khokan Hembram (11), Byasdev Dolui (10) and Munna Das (10), who belong to Adivasi tribal community, are cow grazers and residents of Dohali village, Sagardighi Police Station, Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India. On 5 September 2004, the three boys went to graze their cattle in the open field as usual. On previous day (September 4), Ujjal Laha, a quack doctor and rich man in Dohali village, lost Rs.1100/- (about US$ 25) from his chamber. He suspected these three boys of stealing the money and caught them in the open field with the help of his hired goons on the next day (September 5). Ujjal Laha and his goons tied Khokan, Byasdev and Munna to a tree in the courtyard of the temple of goddess Muktakeshi in the village and began to assault them mercilessly. They brutally beat the boys and forced them to confess the theft. But the boys, according to the eve witness, never confessed the allegation but only cried out of pain and fear. This inhuman assault on the boys continued for four hours and Khokan Hembram eventually became unconscious and fell on the ground at around 4:00 p.m. The goons took Khokan to a local primary health centre but when they arrived in the health care center they found that the boy had already succumbed to death. The goons then immediately fled away leaving Khokan??™s body on the veranda of the health centre. Later Khokan's body was examined by the doctors and Khokan was declared dead. It is reported that the other two boys, Byasdev and Munna were also severely injured due to torture and are in bad condition. The Officer- in- Charge (OIC) of the Sagardighi Police Station Mr. Sunil Pal stated that the police already knew the names of nine goons and would arrest all the perpetrators soon. Among the perpetrators, Swagatam Bandyopdhyay and Samu Adhikari who belong to upper caste Hindu Brahmin were arrested by the police. However, the police have not attempted to arrest the main perpetrator Ujjal Laha and he walks freely even though his name is on the accused list. The villagers alleged that he must have bribed the police as he is a rich man of the village. After learning the death of Khokan, hundreds of Adivasi people gathered and protested in front of the Sagardighi Police Station calling for immediate arrest of all the perpetrators. On September 6, the tribal colony of Dohali village protested by not cooking in the houses until the perpetrators got punished. The state of affairs shows that the policing in India is extremely vulnerable and it could be manipulated by the rich and wealthy according to their whims and fancy. The very fact that a rich person could hire people and take law and order into his hands indicates that the rule of law in the country has failed. Also, the fact that Mr. Ujjal Laha could walk freely without being arrested though he is a suspect in a crime of murder and criminal assault registered against him indicates how much the policing in the country has failed. As long as Mr. Ujjal Laha is free without being arrested there is every chance for the evidence in the case to be tampered and further the postmortem report being adulterated so as to facilitate an acquittal of the perpetrators in a criminal trial. AHRC is deeply concerned by the police inaction in this case and strongly urges the local authorities to arrest the rest of the seven perpetrators as soon as possible. A proper and impartial postmortem on Khokan Hembram's body should be conducted by a qualified doctor and the postmortem report should be accessible to the victim's family and the public. Urgent Appeals Programme Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) 19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building, 998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R. Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 ------------------------------------------------ #2 MANIPUR WATCH 1) No let up in anti-AFSPA stir IMPHAL, Sep 12 : While denouncing the alleged attempt of the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to sideline the issue of the growing demand to revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Manipur, Film Forum Manipur has announced that it would continue to contribute its mite to the ongoing agitation. (The Sangai Express, September 13, 2004, Monday) http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-05.html 2) Ratan Thiyam calls for total repeal of Act Imphal, September 12: Renowned theatre personality and former director of the National School of Drama, New Delhi lambasted the Indian government for treating the Manipuris as second class citizens of the country with the imposition of the contentious AFSP Act in the state. Their rights as Indian citizens were written off by the security forces and the draconian Act. He said, by day, the people have to work hard to make both ends meet with extreme caution of the security forces and by nightfall, nobody ventures out into the streets. It is long since they had a hearty laugh, he lamented.(Source : Imphal Free Press)(Manipur Today, September 13, 2004, Monday) http://www.manipurtoday.com/news/detailtopstory.asp?Key=519 3) 2 killed in shoot out, mishap claims 1 IMPHAL, Sep 12: One havildar of the 132nd CRPF battalion along with a militant were killed during a fierce encounter at Wangoo fifteen Kms north east of Sugnu PS last night at around 8, said sources. The deceased havildar has been identified as one Satyabir Singh (40) of Haryana. Satyabir's body was handed over to the authorities concerned after post mortem at RIMS today.(The Sangai Express, September 13, 2004, Monday) http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-03.html 4) Center's Casual And Undiplomatic Attitude Worsens Manipur By Oken Jeet Sandham ??“ Asian Tribune - Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil's failed Manipur mission is not unexpected. It would have been better for him to cancel the mission, as he was not prepared to understand the gravity of the agitation in Manipur. Hardly any responsible leader of the conglomeration of 32 organizations spearheading the agitation for removal of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from the State was there to have discussion with him on his arrival in Imphal since leaders of the conglomeration were arrested and booked under National Security Act (NSA) prior to his arrival in Imphal. (Asian Tribune, September 13, 2004, Monday) http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=11188 ----------------------------- Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (CHRO) 3, Rams' Cottage Ambalathumukku Pettah Thiruvananthapuram-695024 Kerala South India Ph.: 0471-2476262 www.humanrightsindia.com www.humanrightskerala.com |
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