Alleging "reprisal" of Gujarat tribal rights activist, Human Rights Defenders Alert seeks urgent NHRC intervetion

By A Representative
In an important twist to South Gujarat police questioning well-known tribal farmers rights activist Romel Sutariya following his complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) about police-politician-contractor nexus into “illegal” sand mining, a top advocacy group, Human Rights Defenders Alert (HRDA), India, has sought urgent NHRC intervention, asking it to carry out an “an independent investigation” into the “reprisal for approaching NHRC”.
A HRDA letter by its convener Henri Tiphagne asks the NHRC to institute “an immediate, thorough, transparent, effective, independent and impartial investigation into the harassment of Sutariya”, and take “immediate action on the perpetrators, in this case police personnel of Chhotaudepur police station of Chhotaudepur district, Gujarat, for harassing him.”
Calling Sutariya a foremost human rights defender, Tiphagne, who has addressed his letter to AK Parashar, National Focal Point, Human Rights Defenders and Joint Registrar, NHRC, has said that Sutariya “is still under risk of further reprisals from the perpetrators”, hence it take an assurance in writing from the authorities that he would not be harassed any further.
The letter follows Gujarat police pressure on Sutariya, 25, who leads the Adivasi Kisan Sangharsh Morcha (AKSM), an upcoming tribal farmers’ organization, to provide “proof” of his complaint to the NHRC about police-politician-contractor nexus, lest he would face consequences.
Giving instances of constant harassment ever since he sent his complaint to the NHRC in December 2014, Tiphagne says, the last time the police asked Sutariya to “clarify” about his complaint was in early September 2015, when he was sought to be intimidated for providing “proof” of the nexus or ready to be declared as an “accused.” Sutariya has named a top South Gujarat police official in his NHRC complaint.
“The defender has been targeted in the past also”, Tiphagne points in his letter. “Police have filed cases against him on February 16, 2015 under sections 143, 144, 147, 106, 332, 337, 120 B, 506 (2) and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).” And on February 18, 2015 “he was booked under section 506 and 12 of IPC”.
Then, he adds, on April 28, 2015 morning, Sutariya was “picked from his office in Vyara by a police team without citing any reason”, only to be released after Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel ended her function in the region. The chief minister was in the region for Gujarat foundation day celebrations, had the establishment had expected protests.
“AKSM and Sutariya are being dubbed as Naxalites and they are being targeted for their human rights activities especially for defending land and forest rights of the poorest of poor tribals”, the letter underscores.
Suggesting that Sutariya’s is not an isolated case when police follow and harass human rights defenders in Gujarat, Tiphagne says, Sutariya and AKSM have every right to carry out their “activities as defenders of human rights without any hindrances”.
The letter asks NHRC to “take steps to conform to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially: Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.”
Then Article 12.2 provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination”, says Tiphagne.
The letter wants the NHRC to tell its Gujarat counterpart, State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to convene meetings of all state human rights institutions of women, minorities, right to information, disability, children etc., the letter says, it should “ensure that a co-ordinated strategy is developed within the State of Gujarat for the protection of the rights of human rights defenders.”

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

'Fraudulent': Ex-civil servants urge President to halt Odisha tribal land dispossession

By A Representative A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights.

Dhandhuka violence: Gujarat minority group seeks judicial action, cites targeted arson

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Director General of Police seeking judicial action in connection with recent violence in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district, alleging targeted attacks on properties belonging to members of the Muslim community following a fatal altercation between two bike riders on April 18.

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

Why link women’s reservation to delimitation? The unspoken political calculus

By Vikas Meshram* April 16, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a three-day special session of Parliament, the central government is set to introduce a comprehensive package of three historic bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The stated purpose of all three is the same: to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment) passed in 2023. However, the political intent concealed behind these measures — and their impact on the federal balance — is far more profound. It is absolutely essential to understand this.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

Catholic union opposes FCRA amendments, warns of threat to Church institutions

By A Representative The All India Catholic Union (AICU) has raised serious concerns over what it describes as growing threats to religious freedom, minority rights, and constitutional safeguards in India, warning that recent policy and legislative trends could undermine the country’s secular and federal framework.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Counterview

Search This Blog