PUCL Bulletin, March 2003

PUCL Karnataka:
Report of the convention of PUCL-Karnataka
26th January, 2003

People's Union For Civil Liberties Karnataka branch met on 26.01.2003 at Bangalore, the convention was inaugurated by Prof. Ravi Varma Kumar and was followed by a talk by Prof. Seetharam Kakarla who spoke on "Human Rights and Workers Movement in the Background of Globalization". Later Prof. Shobha Chaoko spoke on "Women and Human Rights".

The convention adopted the following resolution:

1. It urged the Government of Karnataka to constitute the State Human Rights Commission at the earliest.
   
   
2. In view of the increasing atrocities against the dalits in the State, it urged the Government to constitute a Special Court in every district.
   
   
3. Throughout Karnataka, Sangh Parivar is involved in activities which are becoming detrimental to the communal harmony. It urged the government to take adequate measures to contain them.
   
   
4. At Davanagere Siddalingamurthy, a correspondent of the magazine Slum Jagaruthi was brutally attacked by the miscreants, it condemned the attack and urge the government to immediately arrest the guilty.
   
   
5. In the name of privatization the central government has been selling the public sector units, which are leading to the workers misery, the convention urged the government to stop the process.
   
   
6. Recently there is a charge being made by the caste Hindu groups stating that the PCR and Atrocities Act are being misused by the dalits by foisting false cases against them, the convention urged the government to publish the facts.
   
   
7. A brutal attack on P.B.D'Sa in Mangalore was condemned. It noted that still a few accused are at large at foreign countries .The convention urged the government to issue a red bordered warrant to arrest them.
   
   
8. Recently the atrocities on commercial sex workers are increasing in Bangalore, it urged the government to restrain police personnel in this regard.
   
   
9. Of late there is increased incidence of custodial deaths in the police stations, it urged the government to take necessary action to prevent the same.
   
   
10. The convention urged the government to abrogate the section 377 of IPC Act.
    
    
11. It also urged the government for effective implementation of the Disability Act.
    
    
12. There has been an increase in the police violence against sex-workers (female, male, and hijra) including extortion, physical torture and sexual violence in Bangalore. This is also impeding the HIV/AIDS awareness work. We demand immediate stoppage of police violence against sex-workers in Karnataka
    
    
13. In view of the reduction in jobs in government and public sector, the convention urges the government to bring about reservation in the private sector also.
    
    
14. Child labour though banned is rampant, government should take serious steps to implement the Act (Child Labour Prohibition).
    
    
15. A law banning domestic child labour should be introduced in the assembly and be included in the list of schedule of labour dept.
    

The state council elected the following as the office bearers of PUCL of Karnataka for the term 2003-2005.
1. President - Prof. Hasan Mansoor
2. Vice Presidents - P.B.D'Sa, E. Manohar, R. Manohar, and Dr. E. Rathi Rao
3. General Secretaries - Dr. V. Lakshminarayana, Maxwell Kumar, and Prof. Ramdas Rao
4. Joint Secretaries - Selva Arun, Muddappa, Moosanabba, Smt. Malathi, and Smt. Geetha
5. Treasurer - Dr. Ramanna
6. Executive Committee Members - Maridandaiah, Maurice Pereira, Smt. Salma, Renuka Prasad, Ramesh Sankrathi, P.R.S. Mani, and Smt. Parveen -- Dr. V. Lakshminarayana

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