PUCL members show concern over police intervention during Bhopalpatnam visit
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People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) is an organization working for human rights:Saura Yadav
Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): State Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Red Star Comrade Saura said that it is a matter of concern that PUCL members were prevented from going to Bhopalpatnam by Bijapur police and senior officials. This is a violation of fundamental rights. Even before this, more than a dozen people’s movements were going on in Bijapur and Sukma border of Bastar division, farmer organizations associated with Samyukta Kisan Manch (SKM) going to participate in its program were also stopped and harassed.
It is known that an alleged encounter took place in Bijapur Bandepara village, police station Madded, tehsil Bhopalpatnam, in which five people were killed. The families and villagers of the two killed persons, Michcha Ramesh and Aicham Ramesh of village Bandepara, claimed that the two were not Naxalites and were captured alive from their fields by the security forces and killed in a fake encounter. Following the standard procedure, a magisterial inquiry was set up to investigate the incident and a notice was published in newspapers stating that anyone having any information or evidence regarding the encounter could submit it before the magistrate by February 14.
Members of PUCL Chhattisgarh were approached by the villagers for assistance. Since many of them were not familiar with writing formal statements and complaints, they requested PUCL to help them document their testimony so that they could participate in the magisterial inquiry. In response to this, PUCL had sent a three-member team Virendra Bhardwaj, Rachna Deharia and Pawan Sahu to go to Bhopalpattanam in Bijapur. Before reaching Bijapur, police in civil dress took all three off the bus about an hour before the bus and forcibly took them to the police station. After discussion, they were not allowed to go further from Bijapur citing election code of conduct. Preventing prominent members of PUCL, an organization fighting for human rights of the people, from going to the spot is a clear violation of their fundamental rights.
Whereas the Supreme Court itself has issued guidelines to be followed by the police during the investigation of encounters in the case of PUCL vs State of Maharashtra (2014 SCC 10 635). If the country’s highest court recognizes the role of civil rights organizations like PUCL in the judicial process, then how can PUCL members be prevented from helping encounter victims. It is clear from this that attacks on people, democracy and constitution have increased in the country and the state. Neo-fascist attacks for corporate loot have increased rapidly. The situation in Bastar is worrying. Fake encounters and arrests, especially of women and innocent tribals, are continuing unabated, and militarization is increasing. Violation of the fundamental rights of the people is increasing rapidly.
