INDIA: Human rights defender physically assaulted, threatened and detained by government officials 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information through its local partner MASUM in West Bengal that Mr. Gopen Sharma, a human rights activist was illegally detained, threatened and assaulted by the officers at the Block Development Office in Jalangi, Murshidabad District, West Bengal.

Mr. Sharma was, at the time of the incident, helping victims of starvation to lodge complaints at the local Block Office, which is the key office at the state level for social welfare schemes. Prior to this, complaints lodged by victims were much under the leadership of Mr. Sharma and his organisation MASUM. Jalangi was in the news recently due to recurring cases of starvation deaths reported from the area and the lethargical attitude of the state government officers who failed to discharge their duty, which resulted in loss of life.

This incident is of grave importance given the fact that MASUM and the AHRC are jointly holding a public hearing in Jalangi between 23 and 24 of September 2005. MASUM suspects that the state government officers themselves are sponsoring anti-social elements to disrupt the proceedings of the tribunal and are preventing the victims from giving their statements to the tribunal.

The AHRC request you to intervene in this case by writing to the relevant authorities expressing your concern in this case.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Mr. Gopen Sharma, aged about 42 years
Address: Bayarampur village, Jalangi, Murshidabad District, West Bengal
Date of incident: 12 September 2005 at about 3pm
Place of incident: Block Development Office at Jalangi, Murshidabad, West Bengal
Alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Mukul Chandra Mahato, Block Development Officer, Jalangi, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
2. Mr. Soumen Nath, Block Relief Officer, Jalangi, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
3. Mr.Bikash Adhikary, Clerk, Block Development Office, Jalangi, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India

On 12 September 2005, Jahanara Bewa, wife of the late Mr. Hazarat Molla, (Molla recently died of starvation) and one Lokman Mondal, went to the Block Development Office in Jalangi to inform them of another starvation death in the locality. Gopen Sharma accompanied them to the office. The dealing clerk, Mr. Bikash Adhikary refused to receive the complaint that they wanted to file. Thereafter, the Block Development Officer Mr. Mukul Chandra Mahato, the Joint Block Development Officer, and the Block Relief Officer, Mr. Soumen Nath called Jahanara inside the chamber of the Block Development Officer and interviewed her for long time. Afterwards, they asked Gopen Sharma, who was waiting outside to come inside also.

Once in the chamber, these officers abused Gopen accusing him of creating disturbance in the locality. Mr. Soumen Nath rushed to Mr. Gopen and physically assaulted him with his fists and threatened him with dire consequences. While Gopen protested, other employees of the office surrounded him and threatened to hand him over to the police. Gopen did not relent to the pressure of these persons. He was confined in the chamber of the Block Development Officer for about half an hour. Immediately after the incident Gopen approached the local police station in Jalangi to register a complaint. The police officer, however, refused to accept his complaint.

Gopan Sharma and his organisation MASUM was responsible for mobilizing the local people in Jalangi and surrounding areas against the continuing neglect of the state and central government upon these people, which resulted in deaths due to starvation in this region. This had exposed the state government and its lack of interest in addressing acute starvation in the state, especially when the UN Special Rapporteur was visiting the country. It is the result of the relentless work of Gopan Sharma and MASUM that the starving people who were denied various social welfare schemes are now included in the state government list of beneficiaries for these schemes. The outcry of the people who were facing acute starvation in the area had resulted in pushing into action the government officers in the locality responsible for serving the people. It is to be noted here that much of the starvation deaths could have been avoided had these officers properly discharging their duty in the first place. It is alleged that it is this grudge entertained by these officers that prompted them to assault Gopan, who was rallying the victims of starvation to get relief.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister and Minister in Charge of Home (Police) Department, Government of West Bengal seeking his urgent intervention in having this case properly investigated. Please send copies of that letter to the appropriate authorities provided below.

 

 

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