INDIA: Human rights activist facing death threats for working with Dalit and Backward Community 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to bring to your immediate attention the situation faced by Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, a human rights activist working for the Dalits and the backward class in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dr Lenin and his colleagues have been subjected to death threats from the upper castes to stop working for the dalit and backward classes.

Dr Lenin has been working in Belwa village, largely to provide education to children from the dalit and backward class who have been denied this right by the upper castes. The state government has not provided schooling for this community despite their long-standing demand.

The backward classes and the dalits have also been denied the right to vote. Belwa village and its surrounding areas are known for booth capturing and election related fraud. During the February 2002 election, people from these communities were brutally assaulted when they went to vote. Belwa will hold another election on 17 August 2005. Mr Giri, Dr Lenin’s associate has filed his nomination and is expected to be a strong contender due to his popularity amongst the backward community.

On August 5, Mr.Rama Sharay Singh called Dr Lenin on his mobile phone (No: 9415810955) and demanded that Mr. Giri withdraw his nomination. Around the same time, Mr.Giri also received death threats in the village where he was working. Once again, on August 7, Mr Singh called up Dr. Lenin and said that if the nomination was not withdrawn, Mr Giri and his family would be shot dead.

Dr. Lenin recorded the conversation, made copies of it and is now meeting the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr. Brij Bushan and the District Magistrate, Mr. Gokaran to lodge his complaint. Dr. Lenin has also faxed a complaint to the Chief Minister of the state regarding the incident.

In this context, the AHRC requests you to intervene and call upon the Government of India and the State Administration of Uttar Pradesh in particular, to provide full protection to Dr. Lenin, Mr. S. N. Giri and their families. An impartial inquiry into the incident must also be conducted immediately. Please also urge the State Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent inquiry into the incident and make public its report and findings. The district administration should immediately consider the long pending request of the Dalit and backward community of Belwa to open a public school for the children. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Backward Community should also look into the incident, conduct an inquiry into the situation of Dalits and backward community in Uttar Pradesh and recommend effective measures to the State as well as the Central Government in order to put an end to the existing caste based oppression and discrimination. And finally, the State as well as National Election Commission should inquire into the incident and take appropriate action against those who are threatening Mr. S. N. Giri to withdraw his candidature.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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Case Details:

Since 2000, Dr. Lenin has been working with the dalits and the backward community in Belwa village, under the jurisdiction of the Phoolpur police station in Varanasi. One of the issues Dr. Lenin focuses on is education for children from the Dalit and backward community and the right to self determination for these community members. Dr. Lenin’s colleague, Mr. S. N. Giri is also involved in this work. Mr. Giri is an accepted person among the Dalits and the backward community in the village.

To provide education to the children from these communities, Dr. Lenin with the help of the benefactor families and with financial assistance from CRY, an international organisation, has started a local school where approximately 200 children receive primary education. It is alleged that the local village head Mr. Ranjedra Thiwari, who has held this position for the last 27 years, is opposed to the presence of this school. Since the post of the village head has been reserved for a woman, Mr. Thiwari’s wife is holding the post. It is also alleged that Mr. Thiwari in the past has publicly declared that the children from the Dalit and backward community do not have a right to education and that no one from this community has the right to cast their vote in any election. Mr. Thiwari comes from the upper Brahmin caste.

It is alleged that owing allegiance to the pressure from the upper caste community, the state government has not provided any school for the lower caste and backward community in this village despite their long pending demand. These children are also not permitted to attend other schools. On 26 August 2003, Dr. Lenin and his colleagues, together with the support from the local lower caste and backward community, organised a protest before the Sub Divisional Magistrate in Varanasi. Dr. Lenin was immediately arrested and detained by the authorities. The Sub Divisional Magistrate also comes from the same caste as Mr. Thiwari. Dr. Lenin was released after four hours of detention following a huge outcry from individuals and groups within the national and international community.

This village and its surrounding places are known for booth capturing and election fraud. In 2001, a people’s tribunal headed by Mr. Justice Sukumaran concluded after a public hearing that there is a clear denial of the right to vote for Dalits and the backward community. The tribunal in its report categorically stated that the police, administration and even the judiciary is biased against the Dalits and the backward community. Belwa was also in the news when there was rampant booth capturing during the 21 February 2002 election in which Mr. Ajay Rai was declared elected to the state legislative assembly. During this election, many people from the Dalit and backward community were brutally assaulted when they came to cast their vote. It is alleged that Mr. Rai is known for his involvement in numerous criminal activities.

Belwa will hold another election on 17 August 2005. Mr. Giri, Dr. Lenin’s associate has filed a nomination from Belwa and it is expected that he will be a strong contender in the election owing to his popularity amongst the poor, Dalits and the backward community. On August 5 at about 8 am, a Mr. Rama Sharay Singh called Dr. Lenin on his mobile phone (number 9415810955) and demanded that Mr. Giri withdraw his nomination. Dr. Lenin responded that to file the nomination and to stand for election is Mr. Giri’s right and that no one can object to that. Around the same time, Mr. Giri also received threats in the village where he was working and therefore immediately went to Dr. Lenin’s office in Varanasi. At about 8.35 p.m. on August 7, Mr. Singh again called Dr. Lenin on the same number and threatened that if Mr. Giri did not withdraw his nomination, Dr. Lenin and his family and Mr. Giri will be shot dead.

This is not the first time that Dr. Lenin and his colleagues have come under the line of fire of the upper castes. On 13 November 2001, Mrs. Durga, an activist associated with Dr. Lenin’s organisation and her husband Mr. Adya Prasad were attacked by Mr. Thiwari and his armed men. A month ago, on October 23, Dr. Lenin and his wife Mrs. Shruti were attacked by Mr. Thiwari’s men for organising an educational campaign. Immediately after the incident, Mr. Thiwari called Dr. Lenin and informed him that he would be murdered along with his family if he continued his work. Mr. Thiwari has also threatened that he would kill Ms. Asha Devi, a teacher in the local school for educating Dalit children.

This incident is yet another glaring example of how the upper caste dominates the lower caste and the backward community in India and exposes the poor defence that the Government of India continues to use when challenged on caste issues.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Varanasi and the surrounding region was, in the past, known for Lord Buddha’s work and his early activities. However, this region is now known for hardcore and often fanatic upper caste Hindu religious activities and propaganda. The region is infamous for upper caste atrocities against the lower and backward castes such as bonded labour, systematic oppression, feudal systems of punishment where the entire village is punished in the most inhuman way for alleged acts of disrespect by the members of lower caste and also for destruction of statues of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, in Dalit and backward class villages.

For centuries, education has been denied to the children from the Dalit and the backward community. Even political leaders who have been elected in this region have publicly stated that the children from these communities must not be provided education and members from this community should not be allowed to participate in elections. It is within this environment that Dr. Lenin and his colleagues are working for the Dalits and the backward class.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the following people urging them to immediately order an impartial investigation into this incident.

 

 

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