The Bar Association of Thiruvananthapuram has decided that its members should not represent a police officer who threatened a local advocate, according to a newspaper report.
The officer is Sureshkumar, Circle Inspector of the Cantonment police. K. Shaji, an advocate who had moved an application in the district court seeking anticipatory bail for a person named Suresh, had complained that Sureshkumar threatened him on the telephone for two days. The court the police to register a case and investigate.
Whether or not Sureshkumar is guilty of the charge levelled against him is a matter for the court to decide on the basis of the evidence produced before it. The police is known to go to great lengths to protect the evil elements in its ranks. The lawyers cannot, therefore, be blamed if they do not expect it to conduct a fair investigation. That, however, is no justification for them to deny him the right to a proper defence.
It is possible to argue that the association has only barred local lawyers from appearing for the inspector and that it is open for him to engage a lawyer from some other place. What is the guarantee that the association will not put obstacles in the way of a lawyer from elsewhere who is ready to appear for him?
The bar association’s stand shows scant regard for a basic principle of legal and human rights -- an accused person’s right to be defended by a person of his choice. It also reveals that the professional training the lawyers received is deficient inasmuch as they are not able to overcome petty personal and group prejudices.
The association must reconsider its position, recognizing lawyers’ duty to respect human rights.
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, October 5, 2009
Dalit militancy reports raise disturbing questions
BRP BHASKAR
Gulf Today
WHEN India's political parties were ready to make a Dalit the president of the republic, Kerala offered an eminently qualified candidate in KR Narayanan. More recently, the state provided the country its first Dalit chief justice.
But the emergence of a president and a chief justice from the Dalit ranks does not mean oppression and discrimination are things of the past. The long drawn out agitations of Dalits and Adivasis for land are stark reminders that their struggle for the right to live is not over.
Last week the police reported that Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM), a militant group, was responsible for a murder and an attempted murder at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district.
A section of the media, weary of the Muthoot murder case, found the police account of Dalit militancy a good diversion. Its formal denial by DHRM received little attention.
Soon there was a debate on whether Dalits were forsaking mainstream political parties and taking to the path of extremism.
Sivaprasad, a senior citizen, was killed on Sept.23 while on a morning walk in Varkala. Asokan, a tea stall owner, was attacked not far from the site of murder a little later.
The police, who took up investigation, said the next day both the attacks were the handiwork of DHRM activists. The assailants, who had no personal enmity towards the victims, had committed the violent acts to demonstrate the organisation's strength and create scare, it added.
The police said many DHRM activists were involved in the murder conspiracy. It also dropped hints about some extremist elements helping the group.
Director-General of Police Jacob Punnose, who visited Varkala and reviewed the progress of the investigation, was more circumspect than the local officials. He said whether DHRM as an organisation was involved in the murder and whether it was receiving assistance from extremists were matters under investigation.
Even as the police raids were continuing, young DHRM activists, men and women, wearing black T-shirts and blue trousers, staged a peaceful protest outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.
The quick swoop on Dalit colonies across the state suggests the police had prior information about the DHRM network. The quick convergence of uniformed protestors in the state capital suggests DHRM has disciplined cadres.
The material made available by the police and other sources so far is insufficient to form any judgment about DHRM beyond that.
DHRM chairman Selvaraj and legal adviser Asokan are among the seven persons taken into custody in connection with the murder.
Reacting to reports of Dalit militancy, Electricity Minister AK Balan urged political parties to summon the will to address the problems of the community. In a subsequent comment, he said some people were trying to wean Dalits away from the mainstream.
Dalit disenchantment with the political parties in which they had placed their faith stems from the realisation that they were giving them a raw deal. During land reform, farms were transferred from landlords to tenants, bypassing the tillers, most of them Dalits.
While KR Narayanan and KG Balakrishnan exemplify the community's ability to progress through education, instances of discrimination persist.
M. Kunhaman, a Dalit professor with Left leanings, quit after being repeatedly bypassed by the Left-dominated bodies of Kerala University.
Official statistics show that Scheduled Castes (Dalits) and Scheduled Tribes (Adivasis) lag behind the rest. Only 19.52 per cent of the state's population depends upon agriculture for livelihood. The corresponding figures for Dalits and Adivasis, most of them landless, are 31.09 per cent and 54.79 per cent respectively.
According to the findings of the National Sample Survey, Dalits and Adivasis, who constitute 10 per cent and one per cent of the population respectively, account for 19 per cent and three per cent respectively of those below the poverty line.
The Planning Board's latest annual economic review says, "The incidence of deprivation among SCs and STs is 45.5 and 57.9 respectively while that for the total population is only 29.5."
Thiruvananthapuram is among the four districts where the SC population has a deprivation index of above 50. The Dalit colonies where the police is hunting for militants are miserable islands of poverty.
Clearly the problem is not that the Dalits are moving away from the mainstream but that they are yet to be brought into it. It is well known that political intermediaries siphon off much of the funds earmarked for the welfare of the poor. -- Gulf Today, October 5, 2009.
Gulf Today
WHEN India's political parties were ready to make a Dalit the president of the republic, Kerala offered an eminently qualified candidate in KR Narayanan. More recently, the state provided the country its first Dalit chief justice.
But the emergence of a president and a chief justice from the Dalit ranks does not mean oppression and discrimination are things of the past. The long drawn out agitations of Dalits and Adivasis for land are stark reminders that their struggle for the right to live is not over.
Last week the police reported that Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM), a militant group, was responsible for a murder and an attempted murder at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district.
A section of the media, weary of the Muthoot murder case, found the police account of Dalit militancy a good diversion. Its formal denial by DHRM received little attention.
Soon there was a debate on whether Dalits were forsaking mainstream political parties and taking to the path of extremism.
Sivaprasad, a senior citizen, was killed on Sept.23 while on a morning walk in Varkala. Asokan, a tea stall owner, was attacked not far from the site of murder a little later.
The police, who took up investigation, said the next day both the attacks were the handiwork of DHRM activists. The assailants, who had no personal enmity towards the victims, had committed the violent acts to demonstrate the organisation's strength and create scare, it added.
The police said many DHRM activists were involved in the murder conspiracy. It also dropped hints about some extremist elements helping the group.
Director-General of Police Jacob Punnose, who visited Varkala and reviewed the progress of the investigation, was more circumspect than the local officials. He said whether DHRM as an organisation was involved in the murder and whether it was receiving assistance from extremists were matters under investigation.
Even as the police raids were continuing, young DHRM activists, men and women, wearing black T-shirts and blue trousers, staged a peaceful protest outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.
The quick swoop on Dalit colonies across the state suggests the police had prior information about the DHRM network. The quick convergence of uniformed protestors in the state capital suggests DHRM has disciplined cadres.
The material made available by the police and other sources so far is insufficient to form any judgment about DHRM beyond that.
DHRM chairman Selvaraj and legal adviser Asokan are among the seven persons taken into custody in connection with the murder.
Reacting to reports of Dalit militancy, Electricity Minister AK Balan urged political parties to summon the will to address the problems of the community. In a subsequent comment, he said some people were trying to wean Dalits away from the mainstream.
Dalit disenchantment with the political parties in which they had placed their faith stems from the realisation that they were giving them a raw deal. During land reform, farms were transferred from landlords to tenants, bypassing the tillers, most of them Dalits.
While KR Narayanan and KG Balakrishnan exemplify the community's ability to progress through education, instances of discrimination persist.
M. Kunhaman, a Dalit professor with Left leanings, quit after being repeatedly bypassed by the Left-dominated bodies of Kerala University.
Official statistics show that Scheduled Castes (Dalits) and Scheduled Tribes (Adivasis) lag behind the rest. Only 19.52 per cent of the state's population depends upon agriculture for livelihood. The corresponding figures for Dalits and Adivasis, most of them landless, are 31.09 per cent and 54.79 per cent respectively.
According to the findings of the National Sample Survey, Dalits and Adivasis, who constitute 10 per cent and one per cent of the population respectively, account for 19 per cent and three per cent respectively of those below the poverty line.
The Planning Board's latest annual economic review says, "The incidence of deprivation among SCs and STs is 45.5 and 57.9 respectively while that for the total population is only 29.5."
Thiruvananthapuram is among the four districts where the SC population has a deprivation index of above 50. The Dalit colonies where the police is hunting for militants are miserable islands of poverty.
Clearly the problem is not that the Dalits are moving away from the mainstream but that they are yet to be brought into it. It is well known that political intermediaries siphon off much of the funds earmarked for the welfare of the poor. -- Gulf Today, October 5, 2009.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Arrest of M.N.Ravunni: attempt to silence human rights activist
The case of M. N. Ravunni, General Convenor of Porattam, a mass organisation, who was arrested by the police on September 29, is similar to that of Dr. Binayak Sen, who has been in jail in Chhattisgarh for more than a year now. Both have invited the ire of the police by taking up human rights causes.
Adv. Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, Convenor, Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam, has provided the following account about Ravunni’s arrest:
On 31/8/2008 Agaly police arrested two Porattam activists, Sunil Babu and Vinod, from Goolikadavu following a quarrel with some local people. The police kept them under illegal detention for two days and subjected them to custodial torture. They were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Mannarkkad on 2/9/2008 in crime no.183/2008 on the charges of sedition and conspiracy to wage war against state.
On 1/9/2008 M.N.Ravunni, addressing a press conference at the Palakkad Press Club, accused police officers of violation of human rights. On 2/9/2008 he filed a complaint before the State Human Rights Commission praying for the intervention in this matter.
Two days earlier. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Agaly, had contacted Ravunni and asked him to be present at Palakkad SP office for recording his statement as instructed by the State Human Rights Commission. Accordingly, he went to the SP office on 29/09/2008 and the police took him into custody. He is now under the custody of Agaly Dy SP and the police arrayed him as an accomplice in crime no.183/2008 under the charge of sedition and conspiracy to wage war against state. The arrest is a counterblast to the complaint raised by him before the Human Rights Commission.
Two weeks ago a Human Right Activists’ Fact Finding Team including Adv. P.A. Pouran, State Secretary, PUCL, Dr. Abdul Salam, State Secretary, NCHRO, and Adv Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, Convenor Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam visited Goolikadavu and nearby places and collected facts relating to the arrest of Sunil Babu and Vinod. The team concluded unanimously that the arrest of Sunil and Vinod was illegal and demanded immediate withdrawal of the false case registered against them. The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala later granted bail to Sunil and Vinod.
Ravunni’s arrest is clearly an act of retaliation, particularly for the role played by him in exposing the human rights violations of Agaly police and also with a larger intention to keep him silent behind bars as he is an ardent critic of the state.
Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam strongly condemns the arrest of M. N. Ravunni and appeals to all the democratic forces all over the country to join hands against State terror.
UPDATE: A magistrate court granted Ravunni bail on October 6.
Adv. Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, Convenor, Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam, has provided the following account about Ravunni’s arrest:
On 31/8/2008 Agaly police arrested two Porattam activists, Sunil Babu and Vinod, from Goolikadavu following a quarrel with some local people. The police kept them under illegal detention for two days and subjected them to custodial torture. They were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Mannarkkad on 2/9/2008 in crime no.183/2008 on the charges of sedition and conspiracy to wage war against state.
On 1/9/2008 M.N.Ravunni, addressing a press conference at the Palakkad Press Club, accused police officers of violation of human rights. On 2/9/2008 he filed a complaint before the State Human Rights Commission praying for the intervention in this matter.
Two days earlier. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Agaly, had contacted Ravunni and asked him to be present at Palakkad SP office for recording his statement as instructed by the State Human Rights Commission. Accordingly, he went to the SP office on 29/09/2008 and the police took him into custody. He is now under the custody of Agaly Dy SP and the police arrayed him as an accomplice in crime no.183/2008 under the charge of sedition and conspiracy to wage war against state. The arrest is a counterblast to the complaint raised by him before the Human Rights Commission.
Two weeks ago a Human Right Activists’ Fact Finding Team including Adv. P.A. Pouran, State Secretary, PUCL, Dr. Abdul Salam, State Secretary, NCHRO, and Adv Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, Convenor Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam visited Goolikadavu and nearby places and collected facts relating to the arrest of Sunil Babu and Vinod. The team concluded unanimously that the arrest of Sunil and Vinod was illegal and demanded immediate withdrawal of the false case registered against them. The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala later granted bail to Sunil and Vinod.
Ravunni’s arrest is clearly an act of retaliation, particularly for the role played by him in exposing the human rights violations of Agaly police and also with a larger intention to keep him silent behind bars as he is an ardent critic of the state.
Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam strongly condemns the arrest of M. N. Ravunni and appeals to all the democratic forces all over the country to join hands against State terror.
UPDATE: A magistrate court granted Ravunni bail on October 6.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Human Rights defenders jailed in Bahrain
Front Line, an international foundation for protection of human rights defenders, has drawn attention to the ploght of 11 human rights defenders who were arrested in Bahrain last month.
In a statement, titled Bahrain: Arrest of eleven human rights defenders, Front Line says it is deeply concerned "following the arrest of eleven human rights defenders and the alleged torture and ill-treatment of a number of those arrested".
The arrests took place in the days following demonstrations on 17 December 2007 in Manama and other regions of Bahrain, in which a protester, Ali Jessam Mekki, was killed. The demonstrations were organised by members of the National Committee of Martyrs and Victims of Torture to mark the 13th anniversary of the death of two young Shiite men killed by security forces while participating in a demonstration calling for the restoration of democracy.
From the 21st to the 28th December 2007, members of the Special Security Forces (SSF) arrested approximately 50 people.
At its website, Front Line outlines how you can help the cause of the jailed human rights defenders. ACT NOW
In a statement, titled Bahrain: Arrest of eleven human rights defenders, Front Line says it is deeply concerned "following the arrest of eleven human rights defenders and the alleged torture and ill-treatment of a number of those arrested".
The arrests took place in the days following demonstrations on 17 December 2007 in Manama and other regions of Bahrain, in which a protester, Ali Jessam Mekki, was killed. The demonstrations were organised by members of the National Committee of Martyrs and Victims of Torture to mark the 13th anniversary of the death of two young Shiite men killed by security forces while participating in a demonstration calling for the restoration of democracy.
From the 21st to the 28th December 2007, members of the Special Security Forces (SSF) arrested approximately 50 people.
At its website, Front Line outlines how you can help the cause of the jailed human rights defenders. ACT NOW
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