"If you stand with the poor, redress their grievances, raise their issues,
support their causes and fight for their rights; be ready to face the
consequences, because all these come under the purview of crime in democratic
country like India. You can be abused, alleged, tortured, booked under the
false cases and finally thrown behind the bars at anytime. A noted public
health specialist Dr. Binayak Sen, a well known development economist Prof.
Jean Dreze and a human rights activist Kirity Roy are paying the prices for
their passion, courage and extraordinary work for the poor and marginalized
people
of Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal."
Criminalising Activism
If you stand with the poor and fight for their rights, be ready to face the
consequences this seems to be the States message, writes GLADSON DUNGDUNG
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main39.asp?filename=Ws280608Criminalising.asp
If you stand with the poor, redress their grievances, raise their issues,
support their causes and fight for their rights; be ready to face the
consequences, because all these come under the purview of crime in democratic
country like India. You can be abused, alleged, tortured, booked under the
false cases and finally thrown behind the bars at anytime. A noted public
health specialist Dr. Binayak Sen, a well known development economist Prof.
Jean Dreze and a human rights activist Kirity Roy are paying the prices for
their passion, courage and extraordinary work for the poor and marginalized
people of Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Dr. Binayak Sen has been in Raipur Jail for more than one year. His only
crime was being a doctor; he was much involved in redressing the grievances of
the poor adivasis (tribals) of Chhatisgarh and also raised his voice against
the illegal killings of adivasis in the name of Salwan Judum (peace mission).
He was alleged of violating the provisions of the Chhatisgarh Special Public
Security Act 2005 and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, and detained
in May 2007.
The Supreme Court of India had also rejected his bail petition in December
2007. In the meantime, Dr. Binayak Sen was declared as the first winner from
South Asia of the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights,
which generated the global support for him. 22 Nobel laureates wrote letters to
Smt. Pratibha Patil, the President of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime
Minister and Dr Raman Singh, the Chief Minister of Chattisgarh for his release
so that he can collect his award and continue his valuable work for adivasis
but their voices were not heard.
Another person Prof. Jean Dreze has been fighting against corruption in NREGA
(National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) to ensure 100 days work for Dalits,
Adivasis and Poor so that their right to food can be secured. He had organized
a Social Audit on May 26, 2008 at Chatarpur of Palamu district in Jharkhand,
where huge numbers of villagers had participated and spoken out publicly about
how they were cheated in NREGA by the contractors, development mafias and the
government officials. After the social audit, Jean Dreze was alleged by the
Collector and the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Palamu district.
Though Jean Dreze is a member of the NREGA Council and is mandated to help in
auditing the scheme by the law of the land but the reports of the responsible
Collector and SP accuse him of attempting to malign the state government,
falsifying the statements and assaulting the government officials. After seeing
his passion of work for the poor; the villagers consider him like a living God
for them but the district administration coined him as a violator of laws but
his fight for poor is on.
Similarly a human rights activist from West Bengal Kirity Roy was alleged,
his office was raided and a criminal case was filed by the police at Taltolla
Police Station under sections 120[B] (criminal conspiracy); 170 (personating a
public servant); 179 (refusing to answer public servant authorized to
question); and 229 (personation of juror or assessor) of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC). He was charged for organizing a Peoples Tribunal against Torture in
Moulali, Kolkata on 9 and 10 June, 2008.
Though Kirity Roy had invited all the relevant officials, including the
Police Commissioner of Kolkata but they refused to accept it and asked him for
giving them a written explanation on the legality of the public event. During
the hearings a jury of human rights defenders, jurists and medical personnel
sat on the panels, which were co-chaired by the former Chief Justice of the
Sikkim High Court, Justice Malay Sengupta and the Former Chairperson of the
National Commission for Women, Dr Mohini Giri. 82 cases related to police
torture, rape and illegal killings in West Bengal including Nandigram cases
were heard in the tribunal. After the tribunal the police coined him as a
criminal for his passion of work against torture.
All these people did the hard work to ensure the rights of the poor and
marginalized which guaranteed by the constitution of India. But irony is the
state which prime responsibility is to protect and ensure the rights of
everyone of the country, depicted them as violators of laws, booked in false
cases and thrown behind the bars for raising their voices, questioning the
state and asking to ensure the right to live with dignity of adivasis,
dalits, poor, women and children.
One would surely be stunned after knowing the agony of poor and their
supporters because when the government distributes arms to the civilians which
caused killing of thousands of innocent adivasis in Salwa Judum become legal
but the people who raise questions against these illegal killings become
violators of the laws and thrown behind the bars. In the same way, when the
police rape women in the police stations most of them are not punished but the
people who raise these issues are coined as criminals, booked in false cases
and thrown behind the bars. Similarly, the ministers, the government officials
and the contractors eat up the money of the poor are not punished but those who
fight against it are coined as law breakers.
Obviously, this is not a fight between the state and the people like Binayak
Sen, Jean Dreze and Kirity Roy but it is a fight of the state versus poor.
Whenever the adivasis, dalits, poor and their supporters raise the questions
against the state they are coined as violators of laws, separatists, anti
national, anti development and naxalites so that their voices can be easily
suppressed. In all the cases adivasis, dalits and poor are at the loser end but
does it mean they will stop raising their voices, claiming their rights and
demanding for social justice?
Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist associated with the Child Rights
and You.
With Regards
Abi
