[Reader-list] dr sunilam and dayamani barla arrested

[asit das]

*Dr. Sunilam & Dayamani Barla Behind Bars*

*Dr. Sunilam*

The day 12 January, 1998 was a black day for the farmers movement of our
country, when the Congress State Government under the leadership of
Digvijay Singh crushed brutally the non-violent farmers’ movement by the
state police. Under a big conspiracy, Digvijay Singh misused his state
police which fired bullets and 24 farmers were martyred. In this incidents
150 farmers were injured due to bullet fire.

The farmers of the district Betul, under the leadership of T.T. Choudhary,
had given a memorandum to circle office on 12 December, 1997. In this
memorandum they demanded compensation for their damaged crops. But their
effort remained unheeded. Again on 18 December 1997 they submitted another
memorandum with a short notice, otherwise they would start a big movement
for their agricultural losses. Due to inactive conduct of Government
officials, the farmers were bound to form “Kisan Sangharsh Samity”. With
the formation of this outfit, thousand farmers started indefinite protest
(Dharna) against the oppressive Congress regime, in Tehsil Compound.

The state police continued its oppressive attitude towards farmers but on
9th January, 1998 around 75000 farmers marched in Betul protested
peacefully. The District Magistrate of Betul came forward and proposed
compensation of only Rs. 400 per acre. This little amount was too
insufficient to hurt the farmers’ sentiments. Again agitated farmers were
on the crossroad and on 11th January, 1998 they siege the Multai Tehsil and
all 450 villages of this tehsil. It was a historical Bandh, while police
administration tried hard to maintain normal traffic. Farmers opposed the
intervention of police authorities. In a response police and Congress
hooligans fired few buses and in conspiracy police charged some farmer
leaders for this arson. On 12th January 1998, farmer’s leader Dr. Sunilam
decided to enter in Tehsil but the state police had already ordered to
shoot farmers Dr. Sunilam reached Tehsil office and requested again and
again to stop such firing but police authority did not heed his request.
They were acting on the order of their Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. The
whole drama was to annihilate Dr. Sunilam. He was arrested, beaten brutally
by police and faced all kind of police torture.

Madhya Pradesh Government had lodged 66 cases on 250 farmers along with
their leader Dr. Sunilam. Additional Session Court of Multai will give the
verdict in three cases on 18th October, 2012. Today, 14 years have been
passed. All eyes are set on 18th October, 2012.

Dr. Sunilam is a socialist brave heart farmer leader and a courageous
friend of the toiling masses. His struggle for the Madhya Pradesh farmers
is a significant struggle after independence. Both, the Congress and the
BJP (prominent national parties) came into power and showed their
negligence about this Multai incident. Both parties are capitalist parties,
following the pro-rich economic policies and have nothing to care for
farmers, labourers of our country. Along with their negligence we can
witness a total failure of Judiciary, Legislative and Administrative
Machinery of the state. Even the fourth pillar, media has also played
negative role in this Multai incident. This is the character of corporate
media.

We appeal all democracy loving people, having faith in liberty to come
forward and support Dr. Sunilam and his efforts as farmer leader.

 *Dayamani Barla*

The journalist turned anti-displacement, tribal, woman activist from
Jharkhand Dayamani Barla, better known as the Iron lady of Jharkhand
amongst people’s movements and activists or simply *Dayamani Di* was
granted bail by a local court of Ranchi on Thursday afternoon.

But today when friends and colleagues of Dayamani reached Jail to receive
her, they were told that she is been arrested in a new case and can’t be
let off. However, the Jail authorizes refused to disclose the details of
the case. Yesterday, after the bail order when Jail authorizes were
approached they denied the release citing some ‘technical reasons’!

She was sent to Jail on Tuesday in fourteen days Judicial Custody, after
she surrendered before the court in a matter of 25th April 2006. Six year
ago, she was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC)-1860, including Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), for
participating in a protest demonstration, which blocked the road, demanding
job cards for rural laborers under the celebrated employment guarantee act,
then the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and now the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). She
availed bail in to the matter at that time from the concerned police
station and the matter was almost closed one.

However, recently, when the State government and its Police were not
feeling comfortable with Dayamani’s anti-Displacement activities at
Ranchi’s Nagadi village, they chose to re-open the case. They started
sending notices at her rented house and harassing her friends, comrades and
relatives. One day, the police reached her house to confiscate her
belongings. She somehow managed to escape this situation and decided to
surrender before a Court, instead of getting arrested by Police. Notably,
she was not alone against whom the case was registered in 2006, the case
was registered against 10 named persons other than Dayamani and one
thousand unnamed persons, but the police chose to act only against her, for
obvious reasons. Interestingly, the rural populaces are still facing
difficulties in getting job cards, a legal right of every adult citizenry.
“While the government is sending me Jail for no crime, but the demands made
in the said protest are yet to be fulfilled,” Damayani made this point
before leaving for jail while talking to reporters.


<http://www.indiaresists.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dayamani_barla.jpg?9d7bd4>

Dayamani Barla, one of the leading anti-Displacement activists of our time
is fighting many battles against corporate giants and government alike in
various parts of Jharkhand. However, her battle is not limited to the state
of Jharkhand alone.  As one of the national Conveners of the National
Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), along with Medha Patekar and others
and as an Executive Committee Member (also former National President) of
the India Social Action Forum (INSAF), she is not only part and leader of
various people’s movements and campaigns across India but also represents
India at International level. For hundreds of activists across India and
abroad, she is one of the sources of inspiration, including for this
writer. Her courage to fight against injustices at various levels is not
only exemplary but simply unmatched. She is a tireless and selfless
activist, with strong capabilities and guts take on anyone, including
governments. She is totally uncompromising, when it comes to displacement.
This is what makes government and corporate afraid of her.

Hence, this not the first time when she is intimidated or harassed but the
government is leaving no chance to target her. Early this year, on 14th
January, in the evening, a Police Mobile Van of Chutya Thana (Ranchi)
landed at her hotel (Dayamani for livelihood and family support, along with
her life-partner runs a small hotel, *dhaba*  at Club Road Ranchi) and
started to harass her staff asking about her links with anti-social
elements, means Maoist. The Sub-Inspector making the ‘enquiries’ neither
had any written permission or an order. The following day, when she met SSP
Ranchi, Mr. Saket Kumar at latter’s residence to ask why she was being
harassed in this manner, his response was that the allegations were being
made on the basis of an complaint and the fact that she participated in the
“Free Jiten Marandi Convention”, in which Binayak Sen, Gautam Navlakha
Varavara Rao were also present. However, when asked what the crime in that
is, the SSP refused to talk.

The recent intimidation and arrest is due to her leading a restless,
successful and mostly peaceful (except once when police opened fire on
villagers) struggle against the acquisition of fertile land at Nagari, a
village situated at few kilometers from the state capital and where
government wants to build IIM, IIT and National Law School. Contrary to the
propaganda spread by government and its machinery, the protestors do want
these institutions to be build but not at the cost of the main source of
livelihood of villagers. And they have suggested an alternative as well in
neighborhood for the said purpose but the government is adamant. As per
modest estimates, at least 500 tribal families and their livelihood will be
destroyed, if the land is acquired for said institutions. In January, the
state bulldozed farms just around when the winter crops, mostly potatoes
and pulses, were to be harvested. Following that, the police filed FIRs
against 12 villagers! But even then the struggle is still on. And this is
what worrying the government most. The government is desperately trying to
crush the movement, by hook or crook.

Here, however, what we must remember that it is not a matter of Dayamani
Barla or Jharkhand alone, or a case in isolation.  Harassment of activists
on flimsy pretexts and conviction in fabricated cases has become trend of
our times. And this must resisted robustly by human rights activists and
organizations everywhere. This I feel strongly also because as I was about
to finish this, I am informed that farmer leader and activist friend of
ours, Dr. Sunilam from Madhya Pradesh convicted with life imprisonment
today late afternoon by a local trail court in a fabricated case and taken
in to custody. The case in which he is convicted was essentially a case of
Police firing, killing 24 farmers. The time has also come to speak out
against the executive mildness of the Courts as well. Something needs to be
done urgently.

Are we ready or waiting for our turn?