‘Encounter culture’ and accountability of police
Recent times have seen a rise in encounter killings in the country. According to National Human Rights Commission all over the country (barring Jammu and Kashmir) 83 people died in encounters with police in 2002- 03 while in 2003-04 there were 100 deaths. The number reached 122 by 2004-5. Uttar Pradesh maintained an upward trend with 41, 48 and 66 deaths respectively in three years followed by Andhra Pradesh that had 41 deaths during this period. Even a peaceful state like Uttrakhand reported 12 encounter deaths in these three years.-- By Pushkar Raj and Shobha Sharma, December 2007
Binayak Sen arrest: PUCL expresses concern at delaying tactices
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Chhattisgarh Unit has expressed concern at the deliberate attempts by the State to delay the proceedings in the Court in the matter of Dr. Binayak Sen.Today’s Order by the Judge in Raipur ordering the Police to hand over a copy of the DVD of the CPU seized from the house of Dr. Ilina Sen (Dr. Sen’s wife) goes on to establish the “delaying tactics” being adopted by the State Police to frustrate and harass Dr. Binayak Sen. Similarly, the manner in which Dr. Binayak Sen was not brought to the Trial Court during the past four hearings on the pretext that the Jail Authorities had provided for Video-conferencing is a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of the accused. 2 November 2007
State repression in M.P. is politically motivated
officials were resorting to undemocratic and illegal means to detain even the elected representatives like the Janpad Panchyat and Gram Panchayat office-bearers in order to forcefully stop them from making a representation to the Chief Minister and High Officials against the corrupt and undemocratic functioning of these officials. 5 October 2007Policing morality in Channapatna
The series of disturbing events in Channapatna commenced with the arrest on 2 June 2007 of four women under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and the consequent media exposure and trial of these women. When a public protest was held to condemn the police complicity in converting what should have been a routine judicial process into a sensational trial by media, the protest was wilfully disrupted with the protesters being beaten up in the very presence of the police by anti–social elements. These events constituted a disturbing pattern of state moralism and authoritarianism wherein all democratic means of expressing a political opinion were sought to be satisfled.A report by PUCL Karnataka, October 2007
Press statement on the assault of writer Taslima Nasreen
PUCL views the present act of assault and vandalism in line with a growing trend in the country where fundamentalist of every kind are becoming increasingly emboldened to create mayhem at the public places and take the law in their hands. In the process they pay the scant respect to others’ rights. By Pushkar Raj, 14 August 2007 | ClickDeath in custody of Hafiz Kamaluddin and subsequent atrocities by police in Delhi
A PUCL report by Dr. Pushkar Raj, secretary national PUCL Sh. Mahipal Singh, general secretary PUCL- Delhi and and Sh. Bhupender Rawat, Covennor, Jan Sangharsh Vahini. | ClickPUCL activist Dr. Binayak Sen arrested on trumped up charges
Photo: NDTV
The PUCL strongly condemns the arrest of the General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh State branch of the PUCL, Dr Binayak Sen, on trumped up charges under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005 and the unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 as amended in 2004. | Click
Update, 2 November 2007: PUCL expresses concern at delaying tactices
Earlier reports | Bail denied | Analysis | Photos &Videos
PUCL delgation meets Chhattisgarh CM | Letter to the Chief Minister , 20 June 2007 | Click
Dr Ilina Sen's letter to NHRC, 7 June 2006 | Click
Repressive state is insecure too -- By Pushkar Raj, Secretary PUCL, 6 June 2007 | Click
Request for comments
The Model Police Act 2006
- By S R Sankaran IAS (Rtd), 17 June 2007 | Click
Fine arts faculty of M. S. University under siege
The fine arts faculty of M.S. University, Vadodara is one of the best institutions of its kind in the country. It has maintained high academic standards and has rightly earned an impressive reputation both nationally and internationally. Apart from the Baroda School of Art which originated in this faculty, it has also nurtured some of India’s most acclaimed artists.
Today, the faculty is under siege by obscurantist forces that claim to work in the name of religion. Since 9 May 2007, the students and teachers of the Fine Arts Faculty, Vadodara have been the target of the wrath of religious fundamentalists. | Click
PUCL demands CBI enquiry into all encounters since 2005 in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (PUCL) has demanded Enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in all Extra-judicial killings in Chhattisgarh since 2005. The issue has acquired serious proportions in the wake of the fake encounter case at Santoshpur in Bijapur, where not less than 12 innocent citizens were killed by the State Police. Attempts to cover up such violations by the Chhattisgarh Police of human rights and legal processes enshrined in the Constitution of India now need to be thoroughly investigated by the CBI and the Judicial Enquiry Committee, as the Chhattisgarh Government has lost the moral and legal right to do so. Such an investigation must also include killings and other crimes
committed by the Salwa-Judum with the active connivance of the State Police. | Click
Site last updated 29 December 2007