INDIA: Violent attack on human rights defenders by supporters of West Bengal ruling party

Dear friends

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its partner organisation in West Bengal, Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum), about a violent attack on a group of human rights defenders engaged in a street meeting in Hooghly, greater Kolkota. Over 50 persons led by local leaders of the ruling communist party attacked the gathering of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights on 21 August 2004. Nearby police failed to do anything to stop the attack or arrest the perpetrators.

You are asked to write a letter to the Chief Minister of West Bengal to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are brought to justice, the negligent police held to account, and further such attacks against human rights defenders not occur in the state in the future.

Urgent Appeals Desk

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

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DETAILED INFORMATION

Names of the victims: Sujato Bhadra, Amitadyuti Kumar, Sanjib Acharya, Bapi Dasgupta, Raghunath Chakraborty, Shankar Nandy, Sukumar Tiwari, Tushar Chakraborty, Bapi Das Gupta, Pradip Banerjee, Amal Roy, Gautam Munshi and others

Place of occurrence: Jangipara Bus stand, in front of Jangipara Police Station, Hooghly, West Bengal

Date of occurrence: 21 August 2004 at 4.30 p.m.

Name of perpetrator: Arup Basu Mallick, Party Zonal Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), leading a gang of about 50-60 men

At about 4:30pm on 21 August 2004, activists of the Jangipara branch of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) a leading human rights organization in West Bengal working for the cause of democratic rights since 1972, assembled for a street-meeting against state-repression at the Jangipara Bus stand. The bus stand is located in front of the Jangipara Police Station, in Jangipara, Hooghly, greater Kolkota, West Bengal.  The local APDR members were joined for the occasion by Sri Sujato Bhadra, the General Secretary of APDR, Sri Amitadyuti Kumar, the Vice-President, Prof. Sanjib Acharya, the Secretary of Hooghly District Committee, and Secretariat Members Sri Bapi Dasgupta, Sri Raghunath Chakraborty, Sri Shankar Nandy, Sri Sukumar Tiwari, Sri Tushar Chakraborty. The meeting had been pre-arranged, and was peaceful.

Suddenly a group of 50 to 60 people appeared, led by local leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), the ruling party in West Bengal for some 27 years, carrying communist flags in their hands. The group attacked the persons gathered for the APDR meeting, kicking them, beating them with their fists and poles, and verbally abusing them.

The human rights defenders rushed to seek protection at the front of the Jangipara Police station, some 50 metres away. Although a contingent of police was posted nearby the place of the attack, and the victims rushed to the police station, no police officers came to stop the violence or arrest the perpetrators. The attackers then rushed to the police station and holed the APDR members up inside.

Having broken up the APDR meeting, the attacking group then began their own meeting, abusing the human rights defenders and labelling them as part of an opposition party plot.

Some local people called a nearby doctor to treat the wounded, but the doctor was so frightened that he refused to give any formal prescription for the victims’ treatment, or sign anything. The victims were later treated in Walsh Hospital, Srirampur. Click here to view a photograph of two of the victims, after receiving medical treatment. The two are, on left, Sri Amitadyuti Kumar, Vice-President of APDR, and in the middle, Gautam Munshi, Treasurer of the Hooghly District Committee.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

This attack comes at a time of growing violence against human rights defenders organised by the authorities in a number of states in India (see for instance, earlier Urgent Appeals, UA-80-2004, UA-71-2003). Most recently, reports are being received of serious state-organised attacks on human rights organisations and affiliates in the states of Assam and Manipur, in the north east of the country. In the case of the attack in West Bengal, according to persons who have investigated the incident, it was clearly a pre-meditated and well-organised assault on a long-standing and well-known organisation working for civil and political rights, by proxy agents of the state government.

SUGGESTED ACTION

Please write to the Chief Minister of West Bengal urging him to ensure that a full investigation of the incident is conducted, the attackers arrested and charged for their offences, and the police officers concerned disciplined for their inaction. Please also urge him to ensure that human rights defenders are properly protected in the state of West Bengal.

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Dear Mr Chief Minister

Re: Violent attack on human rights defenders at Jangipara Bus stand, Hooghly by CPIM members

I am deeply concerned to hear of an attack on a group of human rights defenders of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) by a group of persons apparently belonging to your political party.

According to the information I have received, at about 4:30pm on 21 August 2004, a group of 50 to 60 people, led by local leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), attacked APDR members gathered for a public meeting near the Jangipara Bus stand, Hooghly. Among the leaders of the group was Arup Basu Mallick, Party Zonal Secretary for CPIM. The group attacked the APDR members, kicking them, beating them with their fists and poles, and verbally abusing them. The human rights defenders rushed to seek protection at the front of the Jangipara Police station, some 50 metres away. Although a contingent of police was posted nearby the place of the attack, and the victims rushed to the police station, no police officers came to stop the violence or arrest the perpetrators. The attackers then rushed to the police station and holed the APDR members up inside. A doctor called to the scene refused to give prescriptions to the wounded, and they were later taken to hospital.

I am particularly concerned that the police failed to act to stop the violence in this instance, and arrest the perpetrators. I am also concerned that the attack appears to have been deliberately organised and carried out under the banner of your party.

I believe that you would not wish to condone such attacks carried out under the name of your political party. I therefore urge you to ensure that the perpetrators of this violence are arrested, a full judicial inquiry into the incident conducted, and the police concerned held to account for their dereliction of duty.

I also urge you to ensure that attacks of this nature do not persist against human rights defenders in West Bengal, and in particular, that they are afforded police and judicial protection in every instance where they are threatened as a consequence of their work.

Yours sincerely

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya

Chief Minister and Home Minister of West Bengal

Writers Buildings, Kolkata-1

West Bengal

INDIA

Fax: +91-33-2214 5480

PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:

1. Mr Ashok Gupta

Chief Secretary

Government of West Bengal

Writers Buildings, Kolkata-1

West Bengal

INDIA

Fax: +91-33-2214 4328

2. Mr. Shyamal Kumar Dutta

Director General & Inspector General of Police

Government of West Bengal

Writers Buildings, Kolkata-1

West Bengal

INDIA

Fax: +91-33-2214 4498 / 2214 5486

Email: padgp@wbpolice.gov.in

3. Justice A S Anand

National Human Rights Commission of India

Sardar Patel Bhawan, Sansad Marg

New Delhi – 110 001

INDIA

Tel: +91 11 2334 0891 / 2334 7065

Fax: +91 11 2334 0016

E-Mail: chairnhrc@nic.in

4. Justice Shyamal Kumar Sen

Chairman

West Bengal Human Rights Commission

Bhavani Bhavan

Alipur, Kolkata-27

West Bengal

INDIA

Fax: +91-33-2479 9633

Email: wbhrc@cal3.vsnl.net.in

5. Ms. Hina Jilani

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders

c/o OHCHR-UNOG

1211 Geneva 10

SWITZERLAND

Fax: +41 22 917 9006