[Reader-list] Dalits and tribals women brutally attacked in Sonbhadra

Mon Mar 29 15:13:28 IST 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kaveri Rajaraman <kaveri.rajaraman at gmail.com>

Dear friends,

This contains an update on the situation in Sonbhadra.
If anyone can help we can set up a fax email action alert out of this, do
let me know!
thanks
Kaveri

  Dalits and tribals women brutally attacked by Forest Dept in connivance
with local feudal elements, police in Sonbhadra

**

*Lalti devi badly injured has been beaten and jailed along with 3 others in
Indian Forest Act 1927, bail denied*

**

*A pregnent lady profoundly bleeding due to miscarriage, medical examination
being denied to wounded'*

**

*District Administration openly supporting Forest dept *

Dear all,

In a shocking incident on 16th march 2010 hundreds of tribals and dalits
activists were brutally attacked and heavily injured when they launched a
movement to reclaim thier lands from where they were evicted in august
2009.

Around 200 families in Magardah forest, Satdwari, PS kon, district
Sonbhdara, UP, were already in possession of land. In order to deny them
rights to them the forest dept connived with local feudal elements in August
2009 and evicted all these tribals and dalits claiming that they actually
belonged to Jharkhand and Bihar. They were beaten and their houses were
looted, and 11 of them were booked under various sections of IPC. Apart from
the clearly illegal beatings and looting, the forest dept doesn't have the
right to stop them from staying on the land as it is the duty of collector
to decide whose land is it. No action was against those who evicted tribals
despite the issue being raised with the administration a number of times.

The tribals with help of National Fourm of Forest People and Forest Workers
launched democratic struggles but District authorities did not make any
effort to resettle these families from where they were evicted. On 29th nov
2009 tribals gheraod the police station Kon in protest of the eviction and
with many other demands. Many letters were written to the CM. From 3-6th
march tribals led a procession to reoccupy their lands and when stopped on
the way, they staged a 3 day dharna. The officials asked them to end their
dharna and threatened their leaders Lalti and Shyamlal, saying that they
would be killed or sent to jail. (These two leaders had also been jailed
previously and scores of false cases have been filed against them).

The tribals ended their dharna after SDM assured them that they will get
their rights. The tribals gave them four days time and announced that they
will start thier agitation again on 12th march. After hearing no response
from the district administration, tribals marched to their land on 15th
march 2010.

On 16th march 2010 armed force of forest dept and local feudal elements
attacked tribal and dalit leaders. They brutally beat women with sticks and
the butts of guns. Four of the tribal leaders: Shayamlal, Laltidevi,
Budhinarayan, Naresh were beaten and were illegally forced into forest dept
vehicle. They were kidnapped and taken to an unknown place by the forest
dept. No one knew their whereabouts until morning of 17 March. During this
period, there were not given any food. They were not accompanied by a female
constable, and the forestry department misbehaved grossly with Laltidevi.

Lalita devi, a pregnent women, was beaten so much that she had a
miscarriage. Another woman was apparently raped by these forest staff.
Naresh was beaten to the point where his leg was broken. In addition to
those kidnapped, around 150 men women and childeren were injured in the
course of the beating.   Medical examination to all injured was denied.
Laltidevi is bleeding heavily in jail without getting any proper treament
there. No FIR was done and  the collector and SP connived with the forest
department and did not take any action against them.

All of the kidnapped people were produced before Magistrate on 17th march
and were sent to jail. Their bail has been denied on the pretext of existing
criminal cases. The said criminal cases have not been decided upon as yet
and all the cases are under the colonial act Indian forest act 1927, which
is a general act that should not be operative after the enactment of the
recently passed special Forest Rights Act. The ACJM who denied bail admitted
in private conversation that there was lot of pressure from the district
administration to deny bai. All four jailed are adivasi and dalits.

Those who were injured in the beating are staging a dharna outside DM office
to the Commissioner who will be visiting Sonbhadra on 20th March. The attack
is on the leadership of women and on the preservation of colonial

laws despite the special Forest Rights Act.

We ask for:

- an FIR against the forest staff for their acts of rape, molestation,
causing injury to preganent women, beating, outraging the modesty of women,
troubling the sc/st community and kidnapping.

- Following an inquiry, the forest officials, staff, collector and SP should
be suspended

- The people's rights to live on their land should be recognized.

The forest dept has openly come against the implementation of FRA since they
are involved in huge illegal works in the forest areas which the dalit
leaders have been raising since long. The district authority are also in
hand and glove with the forest dept and totally reluctant in understanding
the spirit of the FRA. Ironically, the state government is serious in
implementation of the act but the forest mafia, feudal elements nexus with
the coruupt distirct admin does not want the act to be implemented. This
kind of torture and bad administration can give a free way to maoists to
take over the public space.

*The newspaper clipps of janadesh, TOI are attached.Letter to CM and photos
of their houses being looted are also attached. *

*Kindly condemn this act and write to *

**

*1 CM : Mayawati fax no -  05222236181*

* 2. Sh Anil Sant( sect CM) - 0522-2239536(f)*

*3. Chief sect - 0522-2239283(f)*

*4. Principal Sect Social welfare - 0522-2239421*

Times of India, 18th March 2010,

**

*Janadesh story*

http://janadesh.in/InnerPage.aspx?Story_ID=2074&Title=%E0%A4%9A%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%9F%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80,%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%8A%E0%A4%82

*18th march 2010, Times of India, Luknow*

*NFFPFW asks government to ensure justice to tribals*

The National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW) on
Wednesday drew attention of Mayawati government towards the displacement and
attack on the tribals and Dalits in Kon area of Sonbhadra. NFFPFW has shot
off a letter to senior officers in the state government asking them to
intervene and ensure justice for the tribals and Dalits. NFFPFW national
convener Ashok Chaudhary told TOI that 200 tribals and Dalit families living
in the Magardah village under Kon police station were displaced by the
forest and police officials in August last year. TNN

19th March 2010, Times of India, Lucknow

*Displaced tribals on an indefinite dharna*

*TIMES NEWS NETWORK *

Lucknow: Tribal and Dalit families, which were displaced from the Magardah
village of Sonbhadra district and brutally assaulted when they tried to get
back into their houses, on Thursday started an indefinite dharna outside
district magistrate’s office. They also protested against arrest of their
leaders, including a Dalit woman, while nothing has been done against those
involved in the attack.

    Over 200 families were forcibly displaced by forest and police officials
in August last year on grounds that they were residents of Jharkhand and
Bihar. They were charged with encroaching upon forest land. However, in the
cases lodged against them in August last year, the families were shown as
natives of Sonbhadra in police files. Arguing how can a person be a resident
of two places at the same time, the families launched a peaceful agitation.
But nothing was done for five months. In March, 2010, they wrote to chief
minister for justice. But no help came. Finally, the families decided to
occupy their houses again.

    But while they were on their way, a group of people alleged to be from
the neighbouring villages attacked them leaving many injured. The attackers
allegedly had support of some local police officials and forest officials
said to be on the payrolls of forest mafia. Four leaders of the agitating
families were arrested by the police, while no action has been taken against
the attackers, so far. On

Wednesday, those arrested were produced before the court where they showed
their injury marks to the judge. The woman leader, Lalti was also assaulted
mercilessly. The court directed the police to provide medical aid to
injured.

    On Thursday, many from the victim families sat on a dharna outside
district magistrate’s office. The National Forum for Forest People and
Forest Workers (NFFPFW) also shot off letters to the senior officers in
Mayawati government towards the issue. Such incidents, said NFFPFW members,
give open invitation to Maoists and Naxals, who use public resentment to
establish their base in the district. “If there is any dispute, it should be
resolved through negotiations rather than use of force. Injustice helps
Naxals and Maoists to gain ground,” Ashok Chaudhary, NFFPFW national
convener told TOI, when contacted.

    Officers of the district administration, however, claimed that these
people belong to the states of Jharkhand and Bihar but encroached upon land
in Magardah village under Kon police station to reap benefit under the
Forest Rights Act, 2006, which provides for giving ownership titles of land
to tribal and forest dwellers. Distribution of land to these people would
have led to resentment among original natives, they said. But displaced
families claimed that they have been living there since long and were
displaced at the behest of forest mafia, who operate in the area with the
help of a few local forest and police officials.

-- 

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/romamyphotograph/MagardahPhotoaLooting?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3ahbSf9YTX2QE&feat=email#

NFFPFW (Kaimur) / Human Rights Law Centre

Purab Mohal, Near Sarita Printing Press, Munsifi Chauraha

Robertsganj,

District Sonbhadra 231216

Uttar Pradesh

Tel : 91-9415233583, 05444-222473

Email : romasnb at gmail.com/ hrlkaimoor at gmail.com
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