Citizens march to protest klling of a human rights activist in Bihar

-- By Arun Kumar Vice President, Bihar PUCL

Patna: A PUCL sponsored citizens' protest march was taken out here on Sunday ( November 11) from local Akashvani chowk to lodge peoples' protest against killing of Ram Naresh Sharma, a noted human rights activist, PUCL Bihar state council member and the assistant public prosecutor (APP) in Begusarai civil court by unidentified armed miscreants at his Begusarai residence on Thursday.

Apart from the People's Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL) functionaries which included its national vice president, Prabhakar Sinha, state president, Vinay Kumar Kantha, vice president, Arun Kumar and general secretary, Nageshwar Prasad Singh, eminent Gandhian and Gandhi Sangrahalaya secretary, Razi Ahmed, noted catholic priest Fr.Philip Manthara, Indian Doctors For Peace and Development (IDPD) national vice president, Dr Satyajit Kumar Singh, former North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) vice chancellor, M N Karna, SUCI state secretary, Sheoshankar, Arshad Azmal, former Bihar State Child Labour Comission chairperson, Madan, were prominent among those who led the march.

The march was taken out from Akashvani chowk after parading through the main thoroughfares of the town reached at JP roundabout near Income Tax (IT) building where it was turned into a meeting.

Speakers on the occasion gave a word of caution to the leaders of the ruling dispensation to come forward to check criminalisation of politics, arrest of real culprits involved in the killing of PUCL state council member, Ramnaresh Sharma, scientific investigation of this case and setting up a special court to try this case hearing it on a day to day basis.

PUCL state vice president, Arun Kumar who happened to be a close associate of late martyr human rights activist, Ram Naresh Sharma in his speech on the occasion said that such an individual killings could not suppress the spirit of the activists associated with the peoples' movements - be it human rights, civil rights or the other similar movements for social justice representing peoples' aspirations.

Kumar said that such killings only further strengthen determination of We activists engaged in such movements.

It may be mentioned here that Late Mr Sharma was a noted human rights defender working in Begusarai. He was known for his honesty, integrity, determination and courage. He played an important role in the human rights movement of the Begusarai district unit of the PUCL.

Sharma was virtually a whole time PUCL functionary who had earned an important place for him in the Begusarai district PUCL core workers' team because of his dedication, integrity, articulation and tact.