New Delhi, October 3 : The witch-hunt of human rights activists by the Chattisgarh government continues, latest being the raid at Kavita Srivastava’s house by the Chhatisgarh Special Tasks Police Force today morning. Kavita is General Secretary of People’s union for Civil Liberties and prominent human rights activist. Chattisgarh Police armed with a search warrant and aided by Rajasthan police came looking for presence of Naxals in her house. Nearly 40 policemen were there, who looked through the whole house and left it in a mess. They didn’t find anyone but it was completely aimed at terrorising and harassing her and sending a message that Chattisgarh Government is not going to tolerate her work as PUCL, General Secretary in challenging Salwa Judum, Operation Green Hunt and constantly taking up the cases of political prisoners like Dr. Binayak Sen, Kopa Kunjam (both of them are out on bail now), Kartam Joga and many others. NAPM strongly condemns such vindictive action against rights activists.
As Kavita said in an open letter to the media today morning, 'I have been targeted because they know that I have supported the struggle for restoration of human rights violation in Chhattisgarh and the rest of India. I have, through the PUCL, and other organisations worked against the arbitrary detentions in the State in the name of Maoism. Actually this act was to threaten me'. NAPM stands by her side, and stands for the rights of the human rights activists to carry on their work without any hindrance. We are not going to be terrorised by acts like these. They will only further our resolve to fight these tactics of the state and continue our struggle for deepening democracy, justice, freedom and peace.
We demand that the Chattisgarh Government restrains from such vindictive actions and rather work for protecting the rights of rights activists, general citizens and take special care in protecting the rights of dalits and adivasis in the conflict ridden districts of Bastar and Dantewada.
Kavita has been National Convener of NAPM as well. NAPM with PUCL and others will be holding a Press Conference on Tuesday, October 4th at Indian Women’s Press Club, New Delhi at 3:30 pm.
Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey, Prafulla Samantara, Arundhati Dhuru, D. Gabriele, P. Chennaiah, Maj. Gen (Retd.) Sudhir Vombatkere, Geetha Ramakrishnan, Anand Mazgaonkar, Sr. Celia, Ulka Mahajan, Suniti S. R., Rajendra Ravi, Vimal Bhai, Madhuresh Kumar
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