Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the Youth Forum for the Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR), Manipur. It concerns the death of a 22-year-old man from Manipur in Noida. Reported missing by his friends, they were late informed that he had passed away and his body was cremated by the police. This was done without following due process and without the consent of his family members or the Manipur Government.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Mr. Pravish Chanam, a permanent resident of Imphal, Manipur was staying in Noida. He went out with some of his friends to attend a Musical Concert in Noida on the evening of 8th September 2017. After they reached the Concert Hall and spent some time there, his friends noticed that Pravish had disappeared. This was about 9:30 p.m and his friends spent the whole night looking for him but they could not find him.
After a disappointing search, his brother Mr. Ravikanta Chanam along with his friends approached the Knowledge Park Police Station, Noida on the morning of 9th September 2017 and filed a missing person’s complaint. Up until 13th September 2017, Pravish’s family members had no information regarding his whereabouts. On 13th September, the Nithari Police Station informed his family that the dead body of Pravish had been cremated. It came as a great shock to them. They had no knowledge of the death or cremation of their family member. Their permission was not requested before the cremation was carried out.
It is pertinent to note the CCTV footage, made known to his brother by the Police showed Pravish at about 10:30 p.m. entering the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital in an exhausted condition. News reports suggest that he was found unconscious at 9:30 p.m. and was admitted to the District Hospital by the Concert Organizer. Records of the Government District Combined Hospital indicate that at 12:35 a.m. on 9th September 2017, Pravish was admitted and diagnosed by Mr. Prashant Tyagi, one of the doctors on duty. The people who found Pravish in a deteriorating state of health, informed the Police Control Room of Sector-30. Still unknown, is the time of his discharge and the time he left the hospital. It has been reported that his body was found at 5 p.m., near the Nithari car market.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This case throws up many unanswered questions. In a clear case of willful neglect and voluntary abnegation of duties, the Police of Knowledge Park Station failed to circulate the missing person’s complaint on time. Instead it was circulated two days after receiving it. The Nithari Police Station did not circulate the report of an unidentified dead body found lying in the Government District Combined Hospital. Pravish’s body was cremated quickly without asking the permission of his family beforehand. A wireless message, regarding the complaint of a missing person, should have been broadcast by the Police as per S.174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Nithari Police Station Officials should have initiated an enquiry in a case of death under suspicious circumstances. Hospital authorities must be questioned regarding the cause of death. The latest reports state that three Police Officers have been suspended from duty over this incident.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the relevant authorities asking them to order an enquiry into the behavior of the errant police officials and hospital authorities; to initiate criminal action against the aforementioned for failing to follow due process regarding the missing person complaint and subsequently, the unauthorized cremation of an unclaimed dead body. Compensation must be paid to the kin of the deceased for their great loss and for the mental trauma they have undergone.
The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance calling for their intervention in this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
INDIA: Suspicious death of missing Manipuri youth in Noida; body cremated by police without permission
Name of victim: Mr. Pravish Chanam (22)
Names of alleged perpetrators: Nithari Police Station, Knowledge Park Police Station, Bheem Roy Ambedkar Hospital and Government District Combined Hospital, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Date of incident: 8th / 9th September 2017
Place of incident: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the unfortunate death of a young man, Mr. Pravish Chanam, all of 22 years old. The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that Chanam was reported missing on Sep9th and a few days later, his family was informed that the police had cremated his body. Mr. Pravish Chanam was a permanent resident of Imphal, Manipur, staying in Noida. On the evening of 8th September 2017, he went out with some friends to attend a Musical Concert. After they reached the Concert Hall, and spent some time there, his friends noticed that Pravish was missing. It was about 9:30 p.m and his friends spent the whole night looking for him but they could not find him.
After their disappointing search, his brother Mr. Chanam Ravikanta along with his friends approached the Knowledge Park Police Station, Noida on the morning of 9th September 2017. They filed a missing person’s complaint. Three days passed after the complaint was lodged but Pravish’s family and friends had no further information about him or his whereabouts. It was on 13th September 2017 that the Nithari Police Station informed Pravish’s family that his dead body had been cremated. It came as a tremendous shock to them that he was dead and cremated without their knowledge or approval.
It is pertinent to note that the CCTV footage made known to his brother by the Police showed Pravish entering the Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital in an exhausted condition at around 10.30 pm. News reports suggest that he was found unconscious around 9.30 pm and he was admitted to the District hospital by the Concert Organizer. The records of the Government District Combined Hospital indicate that Pravish was admitted at 12:35 a.m., on 9th September 2017, and diagnosed by Mr. Prashant Tyagi, one of the doctors on duty. It was also learned that the people who found Pravish in a deteriorating state of health, informed the Police Control Room of Sector-30. The time of his discharge and the time he left hospital, remains unknown. Reports suggest that his body was found at around 5 pm, near the car market in Nithari.
In the horrific case, both Police Stations failed in circulating the information to other police stations and newspapers. They took the law into their own hands by cremating the body without obtaining permission from his family or following the due process of law. They neglected to pass on the information regarding the unidentified body in the mortuary and no opportunity was provided for anyone to claim the dead body. Whether it was a premeditated conspiracy or a matter of gross negligence, this case must be urgently investigated to know what happened to Pravish Chanam.
Therefore, I request you to register a crime and book the offending police pfficers and hospital authorities for willful negligence. Their alleged criminal behavior and deliberate actions violated procedures established by law. Three police officers have already been suspended and they should be punished if found guilty. There must be a thorough investigation into this case, especially the video of the postmortem examination, to ascertain the cause of death. Lastly, the Government must pay appropriate compensation to the kin of the deceased for the great loss and mental trauma suffered by the family.
Yours Sincerely,
……………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Justice H.L.Dattu, Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan
Block-C, G.P.O. Complex, INA
New Delhi-110023
Email: cr.nhrc@nic.in
2. Mr. Yogi Adityanath
Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Minister of Home Department
361,Old Gorakhpur,Shri
Gorakhnath Mandir,
Gorakhpur-273015, Uttar Pradesh.
India
Fax: 0522-2239573
E-mail- Yogi.Adityanath@sansad.nic.in
3. Mr. Sulkhan Singh (IPS)
Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh
Police Headquarters
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226007
Office no. – 0522-2206104
E-mail – dgpcontrol-up@nic.in
4. Mr. Justice S. Rafat Alam
Acting Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh State
Human Rights Commission.
23, Gautampalli, Lucknow Camp Office:
Bungalow No.- 01A (Type 6) Sector Gamma -1, Greater Noida
Fax- 0120- 2561611
Urgent Appeals Program
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
