We stand by the journalist community-Chhina

Chhina condemns attack,demand police action
Gajinder Singh King, 
Amritsar18 December, 2011: 

Khalsa College Governing Council, Honorary Secretary, S. Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina today strongly condemned the life threatening attack on Dainik Jagran reporter Mohinder Pal Singh. He said the act of violence in which Mohinder Pal was shot at an injured badly while he was returning home from his office duty was highly condemnable. He demanded immediate police action against those goonda elements who were behind the assault. He said the Khalsa College educational institutions respect the journalist and the right to speech and they stand by the journalist community of Amritsar who are fighting the right cause to protect the journalist. Khalsa College Governing Council, President, Satyajit Singh Majithia, Vice-President, S. Charanjit Singh Chadha, Joint Secretary (Finance), S. Gunbir Singh, Joint Secretary (Legal and Property), S. Ajmer Singh etc. also condemned the attack on the journalist.
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Swamy announces panel against corruption

CHENNAI: Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Friday announced forming of anAction Committee Against Corruption in India (ACACI) with special focus on illegal money flow in and out of the country. 

The ACACI consists of members including former Haryana DGP and former CBI joint director BR Lall, academician MD Nalapat and former IAS officer V Sundaram among others.

"The ACACI will leverage existing national and international laws and move internal and global institutions to discover and recover illegal funds deposited in secret banking channels in about 77 countries," he told reporters here after a meeting of the committee.

"Our areas of focus would include nationalisation of illegal accounts in foreign banks and plugging tax evasion. ACACI has been set up to fight corruption in the space left vacant by two major movements against corruption, led by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev," Swamy said.

While Hazare's efforts were focused at revamping present laws and making them free of loopholes, Ramdev concentrated on mass mobilisation, Swamy noted.

"The ACACI will focus on specific action against macro corrupt acts, especially in the criminal misconduct of high level public officials and illegal money flow in and out of the country," he said.

Asserting that he had no differences with Hazare or Baba Ramdev, Swamy said he would participate in the yoga guru's proposed padayatra. "We will work in harmony," he added. --Abhishek Joshi 

PUCL strongly condemns the high handed police raid

Kavita Srivastava is the  National Secretary of PUCL

1. People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) (National) strongly condemns the high handed police action in raiding and searching the house of Kavita Srivastava, a respected social activist who is the  National Secretary of PUCL and President of the Rajasthan State unit of the PUCL on the morning of 3rd October, 2011.

2. The police purportedly raided her house to search for a `naxalite’ whose identity is not clear. The search was led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rajendra Singh Shekawat. It was apparently done on the request of Chhattisgarh Police which was led by one Memon in plain clothes. The raid was calculated to intimidate and create fear as a truck load of Special Task Force Police were stationed outside her house. Police were positioned out side the PUCL office as well. Kavita was not present in the house during the raid. Despite the fact that the family members of Kavita fully co-operated with the search party, Kavita’s 80 year old father who is on a pace maker was shoved around. Her sister and a guest who had just left the house were detained outside the house for more than an hour. The family’s domestic helpers were also not spared and were harassed and intimidated. The search party obviously did not find any fugitive from law taking refuge in her house.

            3. Kavita and her family are old residents of Jaipur and are well known and respected . As an office bearer of PUCL she has been continuously interacting with the local police as well as the State authorities on several issues concerning the poor and the oppressed in Rajasthan. Thus her bonafides are well established and a search of this nature is completely un- warranted and uncalled for.  It is most disconcerting how a search warrant against her could have been so casually issued

when the Supreme Court has cautioned against it and observed that “issuance of a search warrant is a serious matter and it would not be advisable not to dispose of an application for search warrant in a mechanical way by a laconic order. Issue of search warrant being in the discretion of the Magistrate it would be reasonable to expect of the Magistrate to give reasons which swayed his discretion in favour of granting the request. A clear application of mind by the learned Magistrate must be discernible in the order granting the search warrant.”

            4. It is well known that Kavita Srivastava, in her capacity as the National Secretary of the PUCL has been active not only in the campaign for release of Dr. Binayak Sen but has also been in the fore front of raising issues of rights violation with impunity by the State of Chhattisgarh and its police force. In the recent past she has been spear- heading the campaign against the arbitrary BPL criteria set by the Planning Commission and the attempts of the Central Government to exclude vast sections of the poor from receiving any of the PDS and other services.  She had also taken up the issue of recent attacks on the minority community in Rajasthan.

            5. It is thus evident that the early morning raid in her house is nothing but an act of harassment and an attempt at intimidating not just Kavita Srivastava as a person but PUCL as an organization and all other human rights and social activists who dare to raised issues of rights violations. The PUCL states that the action of police authorities is in violation of article 12 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders which mandates that States shall protect human rights defenders from pressure and arbitrary action as a consequence of their legitimate actions to defend and protect human rights.

            6. The PUCL demands that the States of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and their respective Police Officials refrain forthwith from pursuing such intimidating tactics in future against Kavita Srivastava and other human rights activists and to carry out their obligations under the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders .

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D. Nagasaila, Advocate
Dr. V. Suresh, Advocate
National Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
Hussaina Manzil, III Floor, 255 (Old No. 123), Angappa Naicken St., Chennai 600 001
Ph.: +91-25352459 / 42621386-87 / Mobile: +91-94442-31497

Protest against Indian Govt.on September 24th

SIKHS TO HOLD "JUSTICE RALLY" DURING PM SINGH'S ADDRESS TO UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announced that a "Justice Rally" will be held during PM Manmohan Singh's address to the UN General Assembly on September 24^th from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Sikhs are protesting against PM's Singh's Government's policy of impunity towards Congress (I) leaders who organized and participated in the killing of Sikhs during November 1984.

In November 1984, thousands of Sikhs were massacred, their properties looted and burnt, all across India, with the active connivance of law enforcement and on behest of leaders of Congress Party Leaders. Kamal Nath, Amitabh Bachchan, Arun Nehru, Vasant Sathe, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, were seen instigating and leading the killer mobs that attacked Sikhs in November 1984. Twenty Seven (27) years after the massacre, PM Singh has failed to prosecute those responsible and instead have rewarded the killers of Sikhs with seats in the parliament and positions in the Cabinet.

According to attorney Gurpatwant S. Pannun legal advisor to SFJ, PM Singh is not only protecting Kamal Nath in India but is also actively working to get him immunity from prosecution before U.S. Federal Court where he is being tried for his role in November 1984 Sikh Genocide. PM Singh's Government has been sending Démarches to the U.S. Department of State seeking immunity from prosecution for Kamal Nath added attorney Pannun. While Indian Governments claims of democracy, human rights, justice and equality grow louder, bolder and loftier; its actions of shielding the human rights abusers defy the same.

SFJ along with victims of November 1984 have filed a class action law suit against Indian National Congress (Congress I) and Kamal Nath (SFJ v. INC. & Nath SDNY (10 CV 2940)) under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) for their role in the killing of Sikhs in November 1984. US Court issued summons against Kamal Nath on April 06, 2010 while summons against Congress Party were issued in March 2011.

A Special Press Meet for Human Rights Report

On 7-9 October 1991 at first International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris when the United Nations Human Rights Commission as Resolution 1992/54 of 1992 and Resolution 48/134 of 1993 adopted the Paris Principle. It was a historic moment and a new definition of civilization was reintroduced in the human conscience. Following the path of Paris Principle, The Protection of Human Rights Act was drafted at 1993 by which Nation Human Rights Commission, West Bengal Human Rights Commission and as well as various other Human Rights Institutions were established in India where the duties and functions of the commissions are enumerated. 

To monitor the performances of the HRIs of the countries, a new mechanism was developed at the UN. (ICC). In South Asia, ANNI(Asian NGOs Network on National Human Rights Institutions) was formed. To follow this process, AiNNI (All India Network of NGOs & Individuals working with National and State Human Rights Institutions) was also formed, wherein MASUM is an active member. 

This is the demand of the hour that the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, West Bengal Women Commission, West Bengal Minority Commission and other Human Rights Institutions of this state work more actively and significantly in the field of protection of human rights. But it seems that they often failed to show such responsibilities. 

We believe the Fourth Estate, the Press and Media, has strong role in forming public opinion in a positive way and they are morally bound to advocate and highlight the social causes. 

A special report on Human Rights situation to be release at a press meet on 18^th April, 2011 Monday at Kolkata Press Club at 3 - 4 pm. This Press meet has been announced for the release of the background paper and more information, data and evidence of non-fulfilling the duties of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission and other Human Rights Institutions in India and in particular, in West Bengal. 

Honourable Justice Malay Sengupta, ex Judge of Kolkata High Court, Ex Acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court and present Chairman of OBC Commission of West Bengal will preside over the session. Veteran writer and social activist, Ms. Mahasweta Devi will be present there as Chief Guest. Many other academics, social activists, organisations will share their experiences. 

Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place, Shibtala,Srirampur
Hooghly PIN- 712203

This is his FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT not charity...!

Free Binayaksen Campaign Poster RESIST THE SILENT EMERGENCY 
Why is the Governement afraid of
this good Doctor? may be this is
the time to enquire about the health of the
Nation!Download Posters Below

A3 size (10.58 MB)

Big size (22x17) (16.6 MB)

Hindi Version (3.09 MB)

The Committee for the Release of Binayak Sen, Mumbai unequivocally condemns the brutal and undemocratic police action against students and human rights activists holding a peaceful demonstration at Churchgate, and sitting in a collective at The Oval Maidan,Churchgate. The demonstration was against the manifestly unjust decision of the Chhattisgarh High Court prolonging the incarceration of Dr. Binayak Sen, an internationally reknowned physician facing the persecution of the State, because he spoke up for the oppressed and Adivasis.

Daniel Mazgaonkar, a septuagenarian Gandhian activist, along with others- mostly college professors and students, were jostled and dragged away to Azad Maidan police station.

Kamayani Bali Mahabal, a lawyer and human rights activist, was brutally assaulted by the police and dragged to Colaba Police Station,along with student bystanders who protested against such high-handedness. Her crime- standing at Kala Ghoda silently with a poster proclaiming peace and justice!

 If, in a "democracy", the law and its guardians act with such impunity in throttling every voice of public dissent, then very "democracy" and civil liberties and human rights are in grave peril.

- Committee For Release of Binayak Sen, Mumbai

Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal

Have a Heart: Release Prisoners of Conscience

First he was denied the right as a doctor to treat his patients. Now Dr. Binayak Sen is denied the right to his own treatment. He needs an urgent Heart Checkup and possible bypass surgery urgently We DEMAND the Chhattisgarh Government IMMEDIATELY allow Dr. Sen to seek the best medical care for his heart condition wherever he Chooses!. This is his FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT not charity of his captors! Design: Hiran Venugopal Download Posters Below JPG – BIG SIZE(6.5MB) PNG – BIG SIZE(10.8 MB) PDF – A4 SIZE (3.6 MB) PS: Please ask your printer to adjust the contract of image properly to display poster well