Organizations
in India are requesting support to women brutally attacked by
the policy for defending their rights
On September 24 the tribal and dalit
women of village Harna Kachar, Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh,
were brutally attacked by the Police and the Forest Department
while struggling to defend their rights. A mob of more than 300,
that included Police, Forest Department, revenue
officials and dominant sections of the village participated in
the attack where more than 20 women were injured. Just in a span
of one month this is yet another incident of caste clash instigated
by the Forest Department and the Police so that the tribals are
not able to form their organization and struggle for their lost
land rights.
The struggle for forest land has been
going on in this area since the last few years where the tribal
and dalit people and other poor sections under the leadership
of women are asserting their rights and demanding their land back
which had been illegally taken over by the Forest Department after
independence. The struggle was further intensified after the enactment
of Forest Rights Act 2006.
Further information on this sad incident
is available in an article on WRM 35 bulletin at: http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/135/India.html
Below you will find a sample letter
to be sent. Special support is requested from organizations working
on women's issues.
For those of you who cannot afford
sending a fax, WRM will be collecting the signatures till November
4th and will then send the letter to all the authorities indicated
below.
But PLEASE we urgently request your
support by sending the letter by email!
Thanks in advance!
The WRM Team
SAMPLE LETTER
Governor
Mr. T.V Rajeshwar
Raj Bhavan
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh, India
Email: hgovup@up.nic.in
CC son@up.nic.in
spsbr@up.nic.in
ram69kumar@rediffmail.com
cmup@up.nic.in
Dear Mr T.V Rajeshwar,
We have been contacted by local organizations
in your area. By means of this letter we would like to express
our deep concern about the brutal aggression committed by the
Police and Forest Department officials to the local tribal and
dalit women of village Harna Kachar, Sonbhadra district of Uttar
Pradesh.
We urgently request the Governor to
address the following demands:
1. A high level judicial enquiry should
be set up on this matter, in line with assurances made by District
Magistrate Mr. Ajay Shukla.
2. All the officials in this incident
should be punished and suspended.
3. The villagers who instigated this
caste violence should also be arrested and cases of Scheduled
Cast and Scheduled Tribe Act, human rights violation, women violence
should be implicated.
4. The forest rights act 2006 act should
be implemented in the right spirit.
5. A high level dialogue should take
place to resolve the matter of land dispute in Kaimur region.
We look forward to your answer.
Sincerely,
Your name
Cc:
Chief Minister
MS Mayawati
Uttar Pradesh Government
Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax no. 91-522-2239234
Chief Secretary
Mr. P.K Mishara
Uttar Pradesh Government
5th Floor, Annexee, Lucknow
Secretariat Bhavan
Uttar Pradesh India
Fax no: 91-522-2627282/2239461
Director General of Police
Sh Vikarm Singh
Police Headquarters
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax No: 91-522-2206120
Principal Secretary
Sh Netram ji
Uttar Pradesh Government
5th floor, Secreraiat Bhavan,
Annexee, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax No: 91-522-2235201
Principal Secretary
Sh J. N Chamber
Uttar Pradesh Goverment
5th floor, Secreraiat Bhavan,
Annexee, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax no: 91-522-2239539
Inspector General of Police
Mr. Pravin Singh,
Varanasi Zone,
Varanasi
Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax no: 91-522-2502800/2501433
Dy Inspector General of Police
Mirzapur
District Mirzapur
Uttar Pradesh, India
Fax no: 91-5442-257401
District Magistrate
Sh Hira Mani Singh Yadav
District Sonbhadra
uttar Pradesh
India
Fax no: 91-5444-222090/252763
Superintendent of Police
Mr. Ramkumar
District Sonbhadra
Uttar Pradesh, India.
91-5444-252673
