PUCL Bulletin, April 2002

PUCL branches inaugurated in Uttaranchal and Dumka

Uttaranchal PUCL
The Uttaranchal State branch of the PUCL was inaugurated on March 9, 2002 at Dehradun. Justice Rajindar Sachar, former President of the PUCL and retired Chief Justice of Delhi, Justice Ram Bhushan Mehrotra, Vice-President of the PUCL and former judge if the Allahabad High Court, and Shri Ravi Kiran Jain, President of U.P. PUCL and Senior Advocate were present.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Sachar called upon the people to join hands and come forward for defending civil liberties and human rights. He warned the people of Uttaranchal that unless there was a joint and unified effort by all sections of society Uttaranchal will not be able to develop. He emphasised that the right to development was a human right and is very important in the context of the new State.

Shri Mehrotra condemned the communal killings in Godhra and Ahmedabad and said that such terrorist activities were a direct assault on the human rights of the people. He said that the human rights activists have to wage a peaceful war against communal and caste based terrorism.

Shri Ravi Kiran Jain said that the Muzaffarnagar massacre by the police was probably the first incident of its kind in the history of Human Rights movement. Based on the detailed investigations that he had organised as the President of the UP PUCL covering almost the entire regions of Kumaon and Garhwal, he said that it was a conspiracy to suppress the Satyagraha of the people of the region. The perpetrators of the conspiracy were the then Chief Minister, the Home Minister, the DGP, and the District Magistrate. He emphasised that the right to development was a human right and said the he had filed a petition in the Uttaranchal High Court to secure this right of the people of the new State.
Shri Rajendra Dhasmana, the President-elect of the Uttaranchal PUCL said that the Uttaranchal PUCL has to be prepared to lead a frontal attack on the problems obstructing development. Small industries and rural development were the key to ensure the 'Right to Life' of the people of the State.
Others who addressed the convention were K. N. Bhatt, Kamla Pant, Harish Chandola, and Himanshu Baurai.

Following were elected as the office bearers of the Uttaranchal PUCL: President: Rajendra Dhasmana; Vice-President: Himanshu Baurai; General Secretaries: Purushottam Ansoda, and Hema Gairola; Treasurer: Shobha Ram Raturi; Organising Secretary: Kamal Joshi; Joint Secretaries: Anju Kotnala, Kamla Pant, Sidhartha Shah, Shekhar Pathak; Members of the Executive: Sushila Baluni, KP Kala, Kalika Prasad Nawani, Raghu Tiwari, Rakesh Mohan Pant, Rajiv Lochan. Shri Ravi Kiran Jain and Dr. K. N. Bhatt were named as adviser. "

PUCL Dumka Branch Inaugurated
Dumka, March 03, 2002. The first ever Dumka People's Union for Civil Liberties was inaugurated on Mach 3 in the presence of Dr. Prabhakar Sinha, PUCL's National Vice President. The venue was Johar Human Resources Centre.
Representing the National PUCL, Dr. Sinha, an experienced veteran PUCL activist, explained the aims and objectives of PUCL, namely, to uphold, protect, and promote, through peaceful means, the cause of human rights and fundamental freedoms of people without discrimination of caste, creed, community, or sex.

PUCL as an organisation is also dedicated to eradication of unscientific and superstitious beliefs and non-values, to promote and safeguard the welfare of weaker sections of society, including women and children, and to impartially enquire into atrocities, rights violations, and outmoded laws or customs, etc.
Resolving to uphold these fundamental human values for the cause of humanity and human welfare, twenty-two persons registered membership. They represented a cross section people, such as advocates, social activists, students, teachers, and farmers.

Dr. Sinha appointed P.A.Chacko, Director of Johar, the Convenor of the Dumka Unit. Alongwith Chacko a six member Coordinating Committee was formed to help run the district branch. - P.A.Chacko, Convenor of the Dumka Branch

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