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INDIA: Social activist kidnapped in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh

November 30, 2005

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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

30 November 2005
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UA-223-2005: INDIA: Social activist kidnapped in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh

INDIA: Kidnapping, missing person
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources about the kidnapping of a social and environmental activist in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh on 22 November 2005.

Bina Rajput, a committed fighter for the rights of the poor and tribals was cycling from her home in Saraipali Village to another village about seven kilometers away from Raigarh city on the morning of November 22. However, she never reached her destination. The next day her sister received a call from Bina saying that she had been kidnapped and was being forced to reveal the whereabouts of another eminent social activist.

Members of Lok Shakti Samiti, a local organisation, met the Superintendent of Police, Raigarh who asked them to gather more facts before registering a complaint with the police, which was done soon thereafter.

However, to date, the whereabouts of Bina are unknown and it is a matter of grave concern that the police have been unable to even trace the telephone numbers of the kidnappers. On 26 November, various social groups got together in Raigarh to strongly voice their dissent against the kidnapping and demand a search for Bina. On November 28, they decided to participate in an indefinite protest meeting.

We therefore call for your urgent intervention. Please immediately write to the Superintendent of Police, Raigarh and others asking them to investigate this matter urgently and launch search and rescue proceedings.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION

Name of victim: Bina Rajput, aged 20-years-old
Address: Saraipali Village, Raigarh district, Chhattisgarh
Date of Incident: 22 November 2005

Case Details:

On 22 November 2005, Bina Rajput, a social and environmental activist working on the right to food and livelihood for the tribals and other poor who might be soon displaced due to a construction of a dam in Rabo Village, Raigarh, started cycling from her home in Saraipali at about 10:00 a.m. She wanted to visit some self-help groups and public distribution systems in Kosampali Village, about seven kilometers from Raigarh city. Though she was supposed to reach Kosampali in an hour, she never did.

On November 23, at about 12 noon, Bina’s sister, Ranjana received a call from her saying that she had been kidnapped and was being forced to reveal the whereabouts and telephone numbers of Rajesh Tripathi, a renowned environmental activist and a member of Lok Shakti, another local organisation. Soon after that, Ranjana received another call saying that acid had been thrown on her sister.

Considering the seriousness of the situation, Mr. Ramesh Agrawal from Lok Shakti, along with another member, went to meet Mr. Ravindra Bhediya, the Superintendent of Police, Raigarh requesting him to take immediate action. Mr. Bhedia was alleged to have taken the matter lightly and asked the team to gather some more facts in the case before registering a complaint with the police. A complaint was registered soon thereafter.

However, despite a week now having passed since her disappearance, there is still no trace of Bina. It is surprising that in this age of advanced technology, the police have been unable to even trace the telephone numbers of the kidnappers.

On November 26, a meeting of various social groups and associations was called to register a strong protest against the kidnapping, demanding that immediate rescue proceedings be launched. Since November 28, members of these social groups have been sitting in an indefinite protest meeting.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the Superintendent of Police, Raigarh and others asking them to investigate this incident on a priority basis and immediately launch search and rescue proceedings.

Sample letter:

Dear Mr.Bhediya,

INDIA: Social activist kidnapped in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh
Name of victim: Bina Rajput, aged 20-years-old
Address: Saraipali Village, Raigarh district, Chhattisgarh
Date of Incident: 22 November 2005

I am deeply perturbed to hear about the kidnapping of a social and environmental activist in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh on 22 November 2005.

Bina Rajput, only 20-years-old and a committed fighter for the rights of the poor and tribals was cycling from her home in Saraipali Village to another village about seven kilometers away from Raigarh city on the morning of November 22. However, she never reached her destination. The next day her sister received a call from Bina saying that she had been kidnapped and was being forced to reveal the whereabouts of another eminent social activist.

Members of Lok Shakti Samiti, a local organisation, met the Superintendent of Police, Raigarh who asked them to gather more facts before registering a complaint with the police, which was done soon thereafter.

However, to date, the whereabouts of Bina are unknown and it is a matter of grave concern that the police have been unable to even trace the telephone numbers of the kidnappers. On 26 November, various social groups got together in Raigarh to strongly voice their dissent against this kidnapping and demand a search for her. On November 28, they decided to participate in an indefinite protest meeting.

I therefore call for your urgent intervention. Please investigate this matter urgently and launch search and rescue proceedings immediately.

Yours sincerely,
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SEND LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Ravindra Bhediya, IPS
Superintendent of Police
Raigarh District
Chhattisgarh
INDIA
Tel : +91- 9425259095
Fax :+91-7762-223333

2. Mr.R.S.Vishvakarma
District Magistrate Raigarh District
Chhattisgarh
INDIA
Tel : +91- 9425202325
Fax :+91-7762-222103
Email: raigarh.cg@nic.inn

3. Shri K.A.Jacob
Acting Chairperson
Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission
Room No.6, PWD Rest House, Civil Lines
Near Mantralaya, Raipur – 492001
INDIA
Tel: +91 – 94 2235592 or 5052265
Fax: +91 – 94 2235590
Email: cghrcryp@sify.comm

4. The Chief Justice
Chhattisgarh High Court
Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 7752  235020

5. Ram Vichar Netam
Home Minister
Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Through the office of the Chief Secretary
Chhattisgarh
India
Fax: 91 771 2221206

6. Shri Justice A. S. Anand
Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission of India
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi-110001
INDIA
Tel: +91 11 23074448
Fax: +91 11 2334 0016
E-mail: chairnhrc@nic.inn

7. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Ben Majekodunmi
Room 1-040, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
E-mail: bmajekodunmi@ohchr.org

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission 

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-223-2005
Countries :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.