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Human Rights groups condemn the "arbitrary & illegal prevention of Greenpeace campaigner’s visit to London"

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Priya Pillai, Campaigner Greenpeace India.

Priya Pillai, Campaigner Greenpeace India.

New Delhi: The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has criticised the immigration officials for refusing to allow Greenpeace campaigner Priya Pillai to fly to London. It described their action as “arbitrary, highhanded and illegal.”

In a statement on January 13, PUCL said she had a valid business visa and all her travel papers were in order. There was thus no acceptable reason for preventing her from travelling to London as she was neither a convicted person nor was there any judicial restraint order prohibiting her travel abroad.

“PUCL strongly condemns the arbitrary, highhanded and illegal action of the immigration officials of the Government of India at the New Delhi airport refusing to permit Ms. Priya Pillai, senior Campaigner of Greenpeace, to board her flight to London on 11th January, 2015. Worse still was the vindictive act of the immigration officials stamping Ms. Priya Pillai’s passport as `OFFLOADED’ thereby effectively ensuring that she cannot leave India until and unless the Government of India revokes the unannounced ban on her travel.

Ms. Priya had valid business visa and all her travel papers were in order. There is thus no acceptable reason for preventing Ms. Priya from travelling to London as she is neither a convicted person nor is there any judicial restraint order prohibiting her travel abroad.

The Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) stated, “what is ominous is that the Home Ministry has purportedly stated that there is “no rule which allows restraining a citizen from travelling abroad….(because) he/she would express views in conflict with government’s policies.” (TOI, 13/01/2015)]. So if this is the case who ordered the ‘lookout circular’, and at whose behest? These are questions which remain unanswered. If, as the news reports suggest, that the ‘lookout circular’ was issued by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which has no executive authority to issue them, or by the Foreigners division of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) without the knowledge of the Home Secretary then, this action against Ms. Pillai who had a valid visa shows how arbitrariness has come to define the working of agencies and divisions of MHA, tasked with ‘internal security’.”

Both the organisations demanded that the Government of India immediately revoke its decision to ban foreign travel by Ms. Priya Pillai, strike out the stamp in her passport of being “Off loaded” thereby enabling her to travel abroad if all her travel papers are in order.

They also called upon the Government of India to stop “hounding and targeting rights activists for coercive or police action and instead create a conducive, non-adversarial, intimidation-free environment enabling people to share, discuss and debate in a democratic spirit crucial issues of development projects and programmes.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs has reportedly stated that they had no information about any travel restrictions on Ms. Pillai, while the immigration officials said they were acting on orders from the Government of India. PUCL said it was unlikely that such a drastic decision would be taken without instructions from the highest level.

PUCL statement on the mass killings of Adivasis in Assam

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A vehicle burnt by protesters at Gossaigaon in Sonitpur district of Assam on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

A vehicle burnt by protesters at Gossaigaon in Sonitpur district of Assam on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned Tuesday’s violence against tribal people in Assam and called for strong action to avoid a repeat of such incidents.

In a statement, it said unarmed tribal people in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam were shot dead by gangs of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit).

“PUCL demands that the police and para-military authorities immediately ensure the safety, security and protection of lakhs of people in the districts of Kokrajhar, Sonitpur and other districts of the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts adjoining the border areas of Assam – Bhutan. At the same time, it should be stressed that unless the roots of the conflict are addressed and resolved, such violent attacks are bound to recur.”

“We learn that the NDFB (Songbijit) faction itself is led by a non-Bodo and does not enjoy the support of wider sections of the Bodo people themselves. We also learn that there is great popular resentment, even amongst the Bodos, against the NDFB(S) faction due to their extortionist activities and illegal and forcible collection of taxes from all communities, including the Bodo. Despite public knowledge of such illegal activities, the state government has done nothing to curb the unlawful activities of this group which is using arms to terrorise local population. In such a situation, to cloak what is clearly criminal activities using the term `terrorist’ is to lend legitimacy to the group and give an impression as though they are pursuing a political demand.”

“At the heart of the Bodo conflict is the long simmering sense of frustration, anger, alienation and disaffection caused by decades of neglect and mistreatment by successive regimes, both at the state and centre, which has kept large sections of the Bodo people in a state of deprivation, impoverishment and backwardness.”

“There is also a perceived sense of historical injustice to the Bodos in their own homeland. The substantial influx of outsiders coming in as migrant labourers who eventually settle in the area has changed the Bodo – non Bodo population demographics. In turn this has created communal resentment and tensions which is cynically used by political forces to foster violence. This will need to be firmly put down.”

“The Governments, both State and Centre, should seriously initiate a major programme aimed at reassuring the Bodos of their historical identity and ensuring their inclusive development. At the same time, the governments should work to bring about greater community integration and harmony amongst different social sections in the area. Solutions cannot be found through enforcing police or military actions but only through genuine efforts at reconciliation and development which are actually seen to be implemented in the field. Equitable and inclusive development must be seen and felt to be occurring and benefiting all the communities, especially the Bodos. This can be the only sound basis for engendering communal harmony.”

“PUCL also calls upon all the political parties, especially the ruling Congress (I) party in Assam and the NDA at the Centre, not to indulge in games of finger pointing or apportioning blame but to work together to bring about communal harmony, reconciliation, amity and peace,” the statement said.

Chhattisgarh: PUCL Condemns sterilisation deaths, calls it a form of medical homicide

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Photo: AP

Photo: AP

by Chhattisgarh Lok Swatantrya Sangathan (People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Chhattisgarh)

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Chhattisgarh expresses its grief and outrage at the deaths of so many young women as the outcome of laproscopic sterilization camps in Bilaspur district in the past week. So far 13 women have died as a consequence of the camp held at Nemichand Jain Hospital at Takhatpur, and a woman of the Primitive Tribal Baiga group as a result of the camp at Gaurela. Dozens of women are ill to the point of risk to life. Almost all were from BPL families.

In the first incident an experienced surgeon who had been honoured earlier this year for having performed enormous numbers of laparoscopic sterilization operations, singlehandedly performed 83 operations in a five hour period with a single laproscope – a circumstance which by itself establishes that adequate aseptic precautions would not and indeed could not have been effected. The camp at Takhatpur was conducted in a private charitable hospital which had remained closed for a year where the physical infrastructure was absolutely abysmal.

These circumstances are routine and they are replicated in “family planning” camps all across the country, in direct and deliberate contravention of the Central Government guidelines formulated in response to Supreme Court orders of 2005 (Ramakant Rai vs Govt. Of India) and 2012 (Devika Biswas vs Govt. Of India), that direct that a medical team can conduct a maximum of 30 operations in a day with three separate laproscopes, and that one doctor cannot do more than 10 sterlisations in a day. The guidelines also state that all sterilisation camps must be organised in established government facilities.

Serious and substantial doubts have been raised about the quality of medication used in these camps. Ironically the Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission in their inspections in the year 2009-2010 had recorded that expired drugs, fungus-ridden drugs, and untested drugs manufactured at local facilities were found in the stores and operation theatres of District Hospitals at Durg, Bilaspur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon. In most of the cases little follow up action had been taken by the government. Despite the fact that the Purchase Committee for the drugs was headed by Health Minister Amar Agrawal, the Government has refused to accept any liability for the tragedy.

So far one doctor has been arrested, however, as per newspaper reports, the private local manufacturers in Raipur who were supplying the drugs used in the camps, had already destroyed a significant part of their stocks prior to raids by the Special Investigation Team of the Police.

While the State Government has announced a Judicial Enquiry by District Judge Anita Jha, it does not inspire confidence that another Judicial Enquiry headed by the same Judge into the Fake Encounter of a minor adivasi girl Meena Khalkho has not made any progress since its announcement in June 2012.

Target based coercive female sterilization has had serious consequences all over the country, and in the case of malnutritioned and routinely anaemic women of poor families, fatal ones. Yet the State has continued and rewarded such a policy. In the case of the Baiga tribes where permission is required to be taken from the Collector prior to conducting sterilization, the same was not taken. Perhaps following the procedure could have ensured that the Baiga women could have been provided safer medical conditions.

The State of Chhattisgarh has been seeing a series of medical catastrophes – blindness and even deaths of patients after cataract operation camps in 2011, the scandal of a large number of unnecessary hysterectomies only to extract “smart card” payments, a large number of malaria deaths, and recently a number of jaundice deaths in Raipur and other cities owing to contamination of drinking water by sewage.

The High Level Expert Group of the Planning Commission on Universalization of Health Care in 2013 clearly recommended that all citizens should be able to access equitably tax based, publicly provisioned health facilities and programmes of adequate quality. In our country this is the only way forward to avoid major epidemiological and social tragedies like the present. The Chhattisgarh PUCL further notes with concern that the present development model being pursued by the State Government is resulting in impoverishing a large section of the people who are easy victims of such incidents

The Chhattisgarh PUCL demands:-

  1. A credible Judical Enquiry should be conducted expeditiously into the present incidents preferably by a Retired Supreme Court Judge and the results made public at the earliest.
  2. The said Enquiry should establish whether the norms laid down repeatedly by the Supreme Court have been violated and if so how.
  3. All those responsible for the manufacture, quality control, and supply of spurious drugs should be identified and brought to justice.
  4. The Chhattisgarh Government should immediately consult medical experts at the highest level to lay down stringent guidelines regarding the conduct of various types of health camps.
  5. Targeted approach for female sterilization must be done away with.
  6. Steps should be taken toward the implementation of the recommendations of the High Level Expert Group on Universalization of Health Care.

Dr. Lakhan Singh (President)
Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj (General Secretary)

PUCL blames Police for Vadodara riots, says attacks were by the “police and not by any community”

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Vadodara-riots

New Delhi: A report submitted to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has blamed the police for acting in a high-handed manner during the communal violence, which took place when the Navratri celebrations were on in Gujarat in September. Basing themselves on interaction with people of several localities, the fact-finding team said the attacks were by the “police and not by any community”. Quoting individuals, the PUCL said, “There was no trouble in the Yakutpura area”, yet the “police entered in Minar Masjid falia, Patel falia-1 and Patel falia-2 and suddenly started breaking vehicles.”

The report said, the cops “damaged each and every vehicle that was parked in these areas.” About 70 vehicles, “including, bikes, cars, auto rickshaws were damaged by them. Police damaged vehicles, cars, auto rickshaws window panes and doors of many houses”, it pointed out, adding, “They also beat some women with lathis. They were very abusive using the worst form of sexually explicit abuses. When women questioned why they were indulging in violence on this scale, they pulled their dupattas and almost choked one of them. They did not spare even children; a boy from 10th standard returning from tuition classes was beaten up.”

“They even beat up animals in their frenzy”, the report said, adding, “As per the complaint of the women they were just standing outside their houses, and police came forward to beat them up.” And “when they went to police station to lodge an FIR against this violence, they were viciously abused and driven out of the police station being threatened that that they are terrorists and they will be prosecuted under law.” Later, some 40 to 50 young men were “picked up from their homes and locked up.”

The team met Commissioner of Police Mr Radhakrishnan, who “accepted that the crime branch police was at fault in attacking the citizens and would take appropriate action”, the report said, but was in the denial mode when it requested him to formulate a citizen-police joint committee for spreading awareness and reducing communal tension, which he declined and told us to act ourselves in our own localities. “He said that here was almost no violence”, the report added.

In yet another area, Taiwada, near Sat Daragah Area, the team found residents complaining how in Sat (Sevan) Dargah, Taiwada area, on 28th early morning at 1.00 am, “a few policemen came and took a round.” At 2:15 am, 30-35 cops came “with people in civil dress and slippers, some of whom had handkerchiefs on their faces, with steel pipes and started breaking the doors and picking up 5-6 boys after beating them with pipes and rods.”

Ashiyana Abdul Latif told the team that in the absence of her husband, Abdul Latif, as he was on night duty, “the steel bars of windows of his house were broken with instruments brought for the purpose and plain clothes policemen entered the house. Then they put on the light and broke the doors. They pushed Ashiana against the fridge. They then went to the other room where their son Abdul Raheman (Aged 19) was sleeping, caught him by his private parts and dragged him out.”

Further: “When his sister cried to them to leave her brother, they turned their attention to the girls and tried to pull them even while the mother was trying to protect them. They beat the mother and the girls and tore the clothes of the daughter Amrin (aged 22). They told the mother to give them the both girls if they wanted the boy free. The mother was beaten on the head near her eyes with a lathi, and the girls were also beaten with lathis. Amrin who is also a nurse in a state of shock, trauma and has started getting fits.”

The report said, “Her situation worsened and became unconscious so she was admitted in the Sayaji General Hospital in the morning of September 28, 2014. In the hospital she mentioned about assault by police as reason for her injuries and mental shock and also registered her complaint in the Police Station of the General Hospital”, the report said, adding, yet “the doctor mentions assault by ‘opposing party’ in her case paper and she is not sure what police has mentioned in the FIR/Register.”

The cops, said the report, also “broke doors of the house of Tahirabanu and beat her boy who is student in first year of college and took him. He had his examinations from October 7. Police entered the house of Kulsumbibi Adbdulrahim Pulaowala (aged about 50) and beat her on thighs and broke the cupboard and broke fixtures and glass all over the house. She was so much afraid that did not go to hospital to get treatment. Only with support from human right activists she was taken to hospital only on September 29.”

In Fatehpura, Koyali Falia and Ranavas, the report said, “The trouble started on September 25 when a mob came to attack the tuition class located near their area. Along with the tuition class the houses and vehicles of other Hindu residents were also attacked. Shop keepers were forced to close their shops. Auto rickshaws, hand carts (laris), etc. were damaged. The trouble continued over the next few days. Several innocent boys were picked up by police.”

The report concluded, the factors which contributed to this new wave of communal violence in the city of Vadodara was “growing influence of BJP and right wing Hindu groups over police and administration”, nexus between “police , politicians and criminals”, and “ascendance of powerful builder lobbies and the related issues around land and attempts to displace people from poor bastis.”

The PUCL’s fact-finding team, which visited the affected areas, consisted of Ashok Gupta, Reshma Vohra, Kamal Thakar, Tapan Dasgupta, Yusuf Shaikh, Shaukat Indori, Trupti Shah, Hamida Chandol, Sabiha Hakim, Naginbhai Patel and Hardik Rana. A copy of the report, submitted to the NHRC, was also submitted to Gujarat home department and the DIG, Gujarat.

Download the full report here.

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