Skip to main content

Chhattisgarh female human rights lawyers "forced" to leave their home, office: Police harassment alleged

Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group activists
By Our Representative
Two female human rights lawyers in Chhattisgarh belonging to the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group (JagLAG), who recently took up the cause of journalist Malini Subramaniam, a scroll.in contributor, are under threat, and are under pressure to leave their residence following "harassment and intimidation" by the police.
Bringing this to light, top human rights group Amnesty International has quoted Isha Khandelwal and Shalini Gera as saying that “they are being evicted from their home and office in Jagdalpur following police pressure on their landlord.” Amnesty added, “They have faced numerous instances of harassment which appear to be intended to prevent them from carrying on their work.”
Since 2013, the lawyers had been worked on several cases related to human rights violations allegedly committed by the police and other security forces in the state. Apart from Subramaniam, among their clients is Santosh Yadav, a freelance journalist arrested on charges of rioting, murder and membership of a banned armed group, which Amnesty has described as “false.”
In recent months, the lawyers have assisted several Adivasi women to file formal complaints in cases of rape and sexual assault allegedly committed by security forces. JagLAG provides free legal assistance to prisoners in five districts in Chhattisgarh, many of whom are members of Adivasi communities accused of being part of Maoist armed groups.
“The lawyers have carried out research, which shows that Adivasi people in the state are frequently arrested by the police on little evidence, and spend long periods in pre-trial detention in overcrowded jails before being acquitted by courts”, said Amnesty.
The flashpoint against the two came after they took up the case of Subramaniam, covering various issues related to police atrocity, sex trafficking, curbs of press freedom, etc. in Chhattisgarh. An "anti-Naxal" group is reported to be issuing issued threats and intimidations to Subramaniam's family, her domestic help as well as her landlord, since January this year.
“The Chhattisgarh government must recognize the crucial role that human rights lawyers play in upholding the rule of law, and investigate any threats they may face,” Amnesty insisted.

The incident

“On the night of February 16, police officials visited the home of the lawyers’ landlord, and took him to a local police station. The landlord returned the next morning and told the lawyers that he had ‘no choice’ but to ask them to vacate their home and office”, it said.
Amnesty quoted Gera as saying, “The landlord was asked by the police to ensure that we vacate the house within a day or two.” It added, “An official at the police station told Amnesty that the landlord had been questioned on a different matter.”
“Later that day, members of an anti-Maoist group with links to the state police held a demonstration against JagLAG, accusing them of being defenders of Maoists. The group has also held a public meeting and issued a press statement in which it accuses the lawyers of supporting ‘bloodthirsty Maoists’,” Amnesty reported.
Senior police officials in the state have informally accused JagLAG of being Maoist sympathisers. Last year, based on an anonymous complaint that the lawyers did not have the correct credentials to practice law in the region, police officials called them in for questioning.
In October 2015, the local bar association passed a resolution prohibiting JagLAG lawyers from practicing in local courts. The lawyers have challenged the resolution in court. They also say that other lawyers who work with them have been harassed and threatened by members of the bar association.

Comments

TRENDING

Modi win may force Pak to put Kashmir on backburner, resume trade ties with India

By Salman Rafi Sheikh*  When Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term in India with a landslide victory in 2019, his government acted swiftly. Just months after the election, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India. In doing so, it stripped the special constitutional status conferred on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, and downgraded its status from a state with its own elected assembly to a union territory administered by the central government in Delhi. 

Tyre cartel's monopoly: Farmers' groups seek legal fight for better price for raw rubber

By Our Representative  The All India Kisan Sabha and the Kerala Karshaka Sangham that represents the largest rubber producing state of Kerala along with rubber farmers have sought intervention against the monopoly tyre companies that have formed a cartel against the interests of consumers and farmers.  Vijoo Krishnan, AIKS General Secretary, Valsan Panoli, Kerala Karshaka Sangham General Secretary, and four farmers representing different rubber growing regions of Kerala have filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Assault on civic, academic freedom, right to dissent': TISS PhD student's suspension

By Our Representative  The Mumbai-based civil rights group All India Secular Forum (AISF) has said that the suspension of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) PhD student Ramadas Prini Sivanandan (30) for two years for allegedly indulging in activities which were "not in the interest of the nation" is meant to send out the message that students and educational institutes will be targeted if they don’t align with the agenda and ideology of the ruling regime.  TISS in a notice served to Ramadas has cited that his role in screening the documentary 'Ram Ke Naam' on January 26 as a "mark of dishonour and protest" against the Ram Mandir idol consecration in Ayodhya.  Another incident cited in the notice was Ramadas’ participation in the protest against unfair government policies in Delhi under the banner of the Progressive Students' Forum (PSF)-TISS. TISS alleges the institute's name was "misused", which wrongfully created an impression that

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Why it's only Modi ki guarantee, not BJP's, and how Varanasi has seen it up-close

"Development" along Ganga By Rosamma Thomas*  I was in Varanasi in this April, days before polling began for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There are huge billboards advertising the Member of Parliament from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The only image on all these large hoardings is of the PM, against a saffron background. It is as if the very person of Modi is what his party wishes to showcase.

Joblessness, saffronisation, corporatisation of education: BJP 'squarely responsible'

Counterview Desk  In an open appeal to youth and students across India, several student and youth organizations from across India have said that the ruling party is squarely accountable for the issues concerning the students and the youth, including expensive education and extensive joblessness.

Following the 3000-year old Pharaoh legacy? Poll-eve Surya tilak on Ram Lalla statue

By Sukla Sen  Located at a site called Abu Simbel in Nubia, Upper Egypt, the eponymous rock temples were created in 1244 BCE, under the orders of Pharaoh Ramesses II (1303-1213 BC)... Ramesses II was fond of showcasing his achievements. It was this desire to brag about his victory that led to the planning and eventual construction of the temples (interestingly, historians say that the Battle of Qadesh actually ended in a draw based on the depicted story -- not quite the definitive victory Ramesses II was making it out to be).

India's "welcome" proposal to impose sin tax on aerated drinks is part of to fight growing sugar consumption

By Amit Srivastava* A proposal to tax sugar sweetened beverages like tobacco in India has been welcomed by public health advocates. The proposal to increase sin taxes on aerated drinks is part of the recommendations made by India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian on the upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill in the parliament of India.

Poll promises: Political parties 'playing down' need to retrieve and restore adivasi land

By Palla Trinadha Rao*  The Scheduled Tribes population of 10.43 crore constitutes 8.6% of the population in the country inhabiting 26 States and 6 Union Territories. Parliament elections along with Assembly elections in some states have been notified this year.