Amnesty pleads for ending solitary confinement of Mumbai terror suspect, govt says "no"

Ansari

In a statement which is likely to turn controversial in India, one of the world’s top-most human rights organizations, Amnesty International, has pitched for ending the solitary confinement of Zabiuddin Ansari, suspected of planning and coordinating the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack. His health is said to be deteriorating after he decided to be on a wet hunger strike on August 5, which continues till date.
In support its argument, Amnesty has cited the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which states that solitary confinement for over 15 consecutive days amounts to prolonged confinement and should be prohibited.
“The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has said that prolonged solitary confinement can cause severe mental pain or suffering, and can amount to torture or other ill-treatment”, Amnesty said, adding, “India’s Supreme Court has ruled that solitary confinement can violate the right to life and personal liberty recognized by the Constitution.”
Ansari was arrested in June 2012, and is facing trial on charges of planning and coordinating the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 164 people and wounded over 300. "Since August 5, he has been on a wet hunger strike (taking liquids but not food) protesting against his indefinite and prolonged solitary confinement at the Mumbai Central Prison", said Amnesty.
Ansari has been variously described as an Indian national and an Islamic fundamentalist/terrorist, belonging to Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). His name was reportedly listed in the "50 most wanted criminals sheltered in Pakistan" released by India on 21 May 2011.
One who served as the handler of the 10 LeT terrorists during 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ansari Ais also an accused in several cases such as the Ahmedabad railway station blast case of February 19, 2006 and the Aurangabad arms haul case of May 2006.He was deported from Saudi Arabia on June 25, 2012.
Amnesty quotes Ansari’s lawyers as saying his health is “deteriorating” and that he is “extremely weak and cannot walk without support.” They confirmed, Ansari has been asking jail authorities to remove him from isolation.
Brushing aside Ansari’s plea, the Maharashtra government has that the solitary confinement is necessary to “ensure” Ansari’s safety. Ansari has been in the Mumbai Central Prison ever since he was captured, and has been held in solitary confinement in pretrial detention for over two years and eight months.
In August 2013, Ansari petitioned the Bombay High Court in order to end his solitary confinement, Amnesty said, adding, the court rejected his plea, stating that the prison management was authorized to take any steps they thought necessary in the interest of the safety and security of prisoners.
On September 4, Ansari petitioned the Supreme Court, where he stated that he is being detained in a cell without windows, illuminated only by a high-voltage electric bulb that is never switched off, making the cell seem like a “furnace”.
Amnesty wants people to immediately write in English or any other language, urging the authorities that Ansari’s solitary confinement should end, and ensure he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.
The organization also wants the state government “to ensure that he receives any medical attention he may require and has access to an independent doctor of his choice.”
Amnesty wants signatories to send their appeals to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis before November 9, 2015, either in writing to the Mantralaya, or through email to chiefminister@maharashtra.gov.in, with copies to BM Bhosle, Mumbai Central Prison (Arthur Road Jail); and to diplomatic representatives accredited to different countries.

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Not just Haren Pandya, even Dhirubhai Shah, youngest assembly speaker, wanted to be Gujarat CM

Dhirubhai Shah with Keshubhai Patel When Keshubhai Patel was sought to be replaced by the BJP high command in 2001, everyone knows that Narendra Modi became the final choice. However, someone who was part of the top circles those days now tells me something I had no knowledge of—that the choice was between Modi and a Kutch MLA, Dhirubhai Shah, who served as the 16th Speaker from March 1998 to December 2002 during the 10th Assembly, the youngest to take the office.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Search This Blog