[Reader-list] Threat to Arrest Human Rights Activists and Journalists by Gujarat Police

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December 30 2010

Threat to Arrest Human Rights Activists and Journalists by Gujarat Police

Alert

There is some suggestion and strong possibilities that the Gujarat
Police may try to stage an arrest of Teesta Setalvad, journists from
Sahara, NDTV, CNN-IBN in a cooked up case.

In a nutshell
On Dec 27, 2005 (27th) victim survivors of the Pandharwada massacre
(where officially 27 persons were massacred...actually figure is
higher on 1.3.2002) who were frustrated after the studied refusal of
the state authorities to hand back skeletal remains of their dead
which were dumped illegally by the state’s police, began the digging
themselves. The spot where they had been illegally dumped was off the
Paanam river Lunawada in Godhra district.

For months before they started digging they had approached the
authorities to dig out their remains. There was no response.
Frustrated, they started the digging they had informed some members of
the electronic media and also Citizens for Justice and Peace(CJP). The
CJP’s then coordinator Rais Khan (who is since not with the
organisation following irregularities since January 2008)  who
contacted its Secretary in Mumbai.  We clearly told them to wait at
the spot till the authorities came, we informed the Collector and SP
and contacted lawyers and moved the High Court of Gujarat the next
day. The local police was informed by fax of the frustration of the
victims.

We, ie victims and CJP together moved the Guj HC the next day got our
prayer for DNA sampling from Red HILL Hyderabad The DNA sampling
proved that the victim survivors were right. Nine of the 22 skeletal
remains were found to be of the relatives of the victims of the
Pandharwada massacre.

After the initial order in the Gujarat HC which was a breakthrough,
year later the Gujarat HC dismissed the victims’ petition asking for
transfer of investigation of the massacre to the CBI. Ironically we
had pointed out that the panchnamas related to the crimes had nowhere
mentioned the skeletal remains.

The Supreme Court too unfortunately did not get any relief for the
victims who will now be filing a curative petition.

The state has tried to say that this was never an illegal dumbing but
a proper burial on Forest land off an river. Legally speaking not only
has the panchnama of the original crime of mass murder not list the
skeletal remains disproving the version of the Gujarat state and
police. Our argument was and is that Lunawada has a large Kabrastan
hence if Guj Police could in fact not trace relatives, what was the
need to so dump the remains rather than according them a dignified
prayer cum burial in the Kabrastan? Why dump them in an obscure spot
off the river rather than give them to community leaders for a
dignified burial?

Following in its tradition of victimising human rights defenders and
victims, the local police lodged an FIR on Jan 1 2006 against victim
survivors and Rais Khan of the CJP. CJP gave full legal aid to them
and bail was granted and a stay against their arrest also granted by
the Gujarat High Court.

In the interim Rais Khan has today is no more with us, he was
dismissed from service. He is today under the influence been won over
by the accused in the Naroda Patiya case—former minister Maya Kodnani
and VHP state general secretary Jaideep Patel. Inexplicably on
November 24, 2010 the matter that had been stayed by the Gujarat High
Court was listed and the stay vacated.  Rais Khan surrendered and has
in statement recorded under section 164 made false accusations against
mediapersons and  Teesta Setalvad.

Section 295 A is one section being applied. The other is (laughably)
193 which "assisting accused of 2002 massacre!!!"



http://epaper.timesofindia. com/Default/Scripting/
ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive& Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&
BaseHref=TOIA/2010/12/30& PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00700&
ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

30DEC2010
TOI
AHMEDABAD

Guj police at scribe’s house for probe


Bhopal: A Gujarat police team on Wednesday was at the residence of
journalist Rahul Singh to bring him to Gujarat for interrogation in
connection with a story he had done in 2005 on graves of riot victims.
    Rahul Singh’s father N K Singh, who is the resident editor of a
leading national daily here, said that some officials from the Gujarat
police came to his house on Wednesday morning. Singh said that the
police told him that they wanted to take Rahul to Gujarat for
interrogation in connection with the story that he had done. He said
that according to the police team, details of what would happen to
Rahul would be decided only after he reaches Gujarat.
    Singh said the police team told him that they had come with
summons for Rahul although they did not have any warrant for him. He
said that the team told him that they would paste the summons on his
house, but they did not do so.
    The story was done by correspondents of three news channels and
all of them have been made co-accused in the case along with Teesta
Setalvad. PTI