INDIA: Human rights defender once again receives threats in Uttar Pradesh

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-109-2008
ISSUES: Caste-based discrimination, Human rights defenders, Threats and intimidation,

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) that its convener Dr. Lenin is again receiving life threatening calls over his mobile telephone asking him to stop working for the Dalit communities in the state. The AHRC was informed day before yesterday that Dr. Lenin has received at least 18 telephone calls on his mobile telephone between 25 April 2008 and 18 May 2008 where he was asked to stop working for the Dalit communities particularly in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh.

CASE DETAILS:

On 19 May 2008, the AHRC was informed by Dr. Lenin (picture 1) of the PVCHR that he is receiving continuous telephone calls from identifiable telephone numbers since April 25 where the callers have either asked him to stop working for the Dalit community or abused him over telephone for PVCHR’s work in Dalit hamlets in Uttar Pradesh, and in Varanasi district in particular.

Dr. Lenin is the Convener of the PVCHR, a local non-government human rights organisation working in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. In the past the AHRC has reported similar incidents concerning Dr. Lenin and the PVCHR. For the details of cases concerning the PVCHR please see UA-138-2005; UP-95-2005; UP-100-2005; UP-166-2005 and UA-041-2007.

It is reported that Dr. Lenin received 18 calls from the following numbers +919918086996
+919415158550, +919794207227, +919454592038, +919792166784, +919792317547, +919453982577, +919956198171, +919838709973, +919889028806, +919792625583, +919795067828, +919838709937, +919792308119, +919793181915 and +919335985425, +919956816351 and +919919784317 on 25/4/08, 30/4/08, 11/5/2008, 15/5/08, 16/5/08, 17/5/08 and 18/5/08 respectively. All these numbers are registered in India.

On April 26 after the first call Dr. Lenin has registered a complaint, send through registered post, addressed to the Director General of Police, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh informing the officer about the call that he received and urging the officer to take necessary action upon the complaint.

Dr. Lenin informs the AHRC that since his first complaint, his telephone number +91993559933 is being monitored by the state government agencies. However, he continued to receive abusing calls. Dr. Lenin also informs the AHRC that the latest of the calls was from such a dangerous person operating in Uttar Pradesh that the very fact and knowledge that such persons are involved in this matter is good enough for anybody in the state to stop all their activities. This implies that the state police have not taken Dr. Lenin’s complaint seriously.

Dr. Lenin also informs the AHRC that while some of the callers did not speak to him at all, but played some music over the telephone when the call was answered, some threatened him asking the PVCHR (PVCHR office – picture 2 & picture 3) to stop working for the Dalits, organising them and to stop immediately all activities of the PVCHR which would even inform the Dalits about their basic human rights. Dr. Lenin also informed the AHRC that the mafia man who had called Dr. Lenin on May 18 had specifically threatened that unless the PVCHR stop working for the Musahar community in the state, he and his men are engaged by some upper caste feudal lords in the district to burn down all Musahar ghettos and villages in and around Varanasi where the PVCHR is currently engaged. The mafia man also enquired where the PVCHR obtain its funds from, a question that suggests that unless the PVCHR pays the mafia some sought of protection money, they would keep harassing the PVCHR or try to stop its work in the state.

Threatening, intimidating, insulting and creating annoyance to persons is a crime punishable in India under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Section 503 of the Code reads: “Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation.”

Section 506 of the Code prescribes punishment for criminal intimidation which could extend to imprisonment up to a period of two years or fine or both. However, if the criminal intimidation is to cause death or grievous hurt or to cause destruction of property by fire, the sentence may extend to a term up to seven years, or with fine or both.

According to an amendment applicable to Uttar Pradesh vide notification number 777/VIII 9-4(2)-87 dated 31 July 1989, a crime punishable under Section 506 is cognizable and non-bailable. This means that on receipt of a complaint, the police could arrest the accused without a warrant of arrest issued by a court of law.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Threat and intimidation is not to be taken lightly in Uttar Pradesh. It is one of those states in India where people are abducted and children kidnapped for settling private and political feuds. In some cases the abducted victims are tortured or even murdered if the demands of the criminals are not met. As far as the PVCHR is concerned, it is an apolitical local human rights organisation with limited resources, but with a large work group, including staff and volunteers.

It is also a mass-based membership organisation, which makes it practically difficult for the PVCHR to make arrangements for self protection of its office, staff and the victims it support all by its own. Without proper support and effective engagement of the state police the staff of the PVCHR and its work is vulnerable to abuses by the criminal elements in the society who are engaged by upper caste landlords to suppress the activities of the PVCHR.

The calls are also a reflection of the PVCHR’s success in mobilising and empowering the Dalits in the state. The state administration unfortunately finds PVCHR’s work as a slur or trouble to the state’s public image. Due to the hunger alerts and urgent appeals issued by the AHRC on the behest of the PVCHR the deplorable state of affairs of the state administration in addressing the immediate needs of the Dalit community like food security, education and has brought to light the corruption in the public food distribution system in the state that deprives the Dalit community in the state from their fundamental right to food and also other discriminatory practices by the upper caste practiced against the Dalit communities in the state.

Due to the sheer number of cases taken up by the PVCHR and its wide coverage and network with other peer groups within the state and the grass root mobilisation that was stirred up by the PVCHR and its other partner organisations have now become an eyesore for the state administration. It appears that the state administration through its passive stance of failing to provide adequate protection to the PVCHR and its activists is in fact expecting the upper caste Hindus and feudal landlords in the state and their criminal henchmen to silence the PVCHR. Dr. Lenin believes that the calls though made to his personal mobile telephone are in fact a method of delivering a message to everyone associated with the PVCHR, cautioning them to stop working in Uttar Pradesh. This must not be allowed.

It is imperative at this juncture that 24 hours police protection to be provided to the Dalit hamlets in Pindra (Musahar child rescued from acute malnutrition in Pindra – picture 4), Belwa (Musahar huts in Belwa – picture 5) and Raup (Ghasia huts in Raup village – picture 6) so as to ensure that the Dalit families in these villages are safe from the criminals who have threatened the PVCHR from working in these villages. It is also necessary for the state police to immediately discuss these issues with the PVCHR and its staff, to ensure that none of the staff as well as the people for whom the PVCHR work is hurt by the criminals. The state administration must immediately take these steps as otherwise irreparable damages will be caused to not only a well functioning human rights group in Uttar Pradesh and its staff, but also to the Dalits residing in Dalit hamlets in and around Varanasi.

In the past three years, the cases taken up by the PVCHR, whenever brought to the limelight has attracted adequate attention from various corners of the world, including direct intervention by the UN agencies. Such interventions have not only stimulated the activists and volunteers associated with the PVCHR to engage more in human rights work, but has also brought immediate and long-term reliefs to the victims of human rights violations in the state.

Of particular relevance are the cases taken up from Musahar (Dalit subgroup) ghettos in Belwa and Pinda and the Ghasia community in Raup in the state. On an issue that led to the release of bonded labour in Belwa, the village head of Belwa, Mr. Rajendra Tripadi has filed a false criminal charge against the staff of the PVCHR which was also reported by the AHRC. For this illegal act, Mr. Tripadi was also reportedly helped by the then District Magistrate Ms. Veena Kumari. Ms. Kumari was transferred from Varanasi in the past week. For further information concerning this case please visit: AHRC-UAU-004-2008.

In recognition of the activities of the PVCHR, the Gwangju based human rights group, the May 18 Foundation has awarded Dr. Lenin the Gwangju Price for Human Rights along with Ms. Irom Chanu Sharmila of Manipur in the year 2007.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities below to ensure that the safety and protection of the PVCHR, its staff and the activists associated with the organisation. The AHRC has also written to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders calling for an immediate intervention in this case.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear __________,

INDIA: The work of PVCHR, a human rights organisation, must be protected

Name of victim: The People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), SA 4/2A, Daulatpur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, its staff and the Dalit families (about 2000 in number, primarily in three separate hamlets Belwa, Pindra and Raup)
Date of incident: 25 April, 2008 and continuously thereon

I am writing to express my concern regarding the case of threats received by the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) from the criminals associated with the upper caste Hindus and feudal lords in Uttar Pradesh. I am informed that Dr. Lenin, the Convener of the PVCHR, has been receiving abusive and life threatening calls on his mobile number +919935599333 since 25 April 2008 asking him to stop all activities of the PVCHR addressing issues concerning the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh.

I am informed that of the calls received by Dr. Lenin, the last one was from a notorious mafia man operating in Uttar Pradesh who ordered PVCHR to immediately stop all its activities involving Dalits in Raup, Pinda and Belwa Dalit hamlets or else the staff of the PVCHR along with the Dalit families residing in these hamlets would be hurt and their houses burned.

I am informed that the calls are a reflection of the PVCHR’s success in mobilising and empowering the Dalits in the state. I am also informed that the Uttar Pradesh state administration unfortunately is finding the PVCHR’s work as a slur or trouble to the state’s public image.

It is reported that Dr. Lenin has received 18 calls from the following numbers +919918086996, +919415158550, +919794207227, +919454592038, +919792166784, +919792317547, +919453982577, +919956198171, +919838709973, +919889028806, +919792625583, +919795067828, +919838709937, +919792308119, +919793181915 and +919335985425, +919956816351 and +919919784317 on 25/4/08, 30/4/08, 11/5/2008, 15/5/08, 16/5/08, 17/5/08 and 18/5/08 respectively.

All these numbers are registered in India. On 26 April 2008 after the first call Dr. Lenin has registered a complaint, send through registered post, to the Director General of Police, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh informing the officer about the call that he received and urging the officer to take necessary action upon the complaint.

I am informed that the telephone number to which these calls are made (+91993559933) is being monitored by the state government agencies. However, the uninterrupted manner in which the calls continued indicates that the state police have not taken the complaint lodged by Dr. Lenin seriously.

I am further informed that Dr. Lenin has communicated to the AHRC that the latest of the calls that he received from the number +919919784317 is one of the numbers used by a dangerous mafia person operating in Uttar Pradesh. The very fact and knowledge that such persons are involved in this matter is good enough for anybody in the state to stop all their activities.

It appears that the state administration through its passive stance of failing to provide adequate protection to the PVCHR and its activists is in fact expecting the upper caste Hindus and feudal landlords in the state and their criminal henchmen to silence the PVCHR. Dr. Lenin believes that the calls though made to his personal mobile telephone are in fact a method of delivering a message to everyone associated with the PVCHR, cautioning them to stop working in Uttar Pradesh. This must not be allowed.

It is imperative in these circumstances that 24 hours police protection to be provided to the Dalit hamlets in Pindra, Belwa and Raup in and around Varanasi so as to ensure that the Dalit families in these villages are safe from the criminals who have threatened the PVCHR from working in these villages. It is also necessary for the state police to immediately discuss these issues with the PVCHR and its staff, to ensure that none of the staff as well as the people for whom the PVCHR work is hurt by the criminals.

The state administration must immediately take these steps as otherwise irreparable damages will be caused to not only a well functioning human rights group in Uttar Pradesh and its staff, but also to the Dalits residing in Dalit hamlets in and around Varanasi.

I am also informed that the AHRC is also writing to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders calling for an immediate intervention in this case.

Yours sincerely,

—————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Honorable Governor of Uttar Pradesh
Raj Bhavan, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: hgovup@up.nic.in

2. Ms. Mayawati
Chief Minister
Chief Minister’s Secretariat
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 223 0002 / 223 9234
E-mail: csup@up.nic.in

3. Mr. Shivraj V. Patil
Home Minister
North Block
New Delhi 110 001
INDIA
Fax: + 91 11 23794833

4. Ms. Meira Kumar
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment
D-1029, New Friends Colony
New Delhi – 110065
INDIA
Fax: + 91 11 23382683
E-mail: min-sje@sb.nic.in

5. Secretary to the Government
Uttar Pradesh State Government
5th Floor ?Lal Bahadur Sastri Bhavan
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA

6. Inspector General of Police
Varanasi Zone
Varanasi District
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: igzonevns@up.nic.in

7. Director General of Police
1-Tilak Marg, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 220 6120 / 220 6174
E-mail: police@up.nic.in

8. Senior Superintendent of Police 
Varanasi, SSP Office, Kachahari
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: sspvns@up.nic.in

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : AHRC-UAC-109-2008
Countries : India,
Issues : Caste-based discrimination, Human rights defenders, Threats and intimidation,