About the Human Rights Defender: Advocate Ajay Kumar is a lawyer who has been working for 30 years as an activist. Since his days as a student in Kurukshetra university, he has been active in various mass and democratic struggles like struggle against the illegal termination of canteen workers in Kurukshetra University and the struggle against the demolition of working-class neighbourhood of Gandhi Nagar, Kurukshetra. He participated in the peasant movement in Kandela, Haryana, was active in opposing the arrest of peasant leader Ghashi Ram and took lead in fact-finding missions on atrocities against Dalits in Haryana. In Chandigarh, he was active in the movement against evictions of slum dwellers as well as the movements against the amendments to Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act and Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act in 2016. Adv. Ajay has aided in the capacity-building of activists from the anti-displacement movements against Electro Steel Company in Santhal Pargana (Jharkhand), Grabanda Bera electricity project in Gumla (Jharkhand) and South Korean giant Posco in Jagatsinghpur (Odisha). He was also founding member of Vistapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), a conglomeration of more than 50 organisations from across the country seeking to challenge the forcible displacement of peasants particularly Adivasis. He was also involved in Kisan Andolan and in organising the movement against the caste atrocities committed in Panchkula in the state of Haryana.

Background of the incident: Adv. Ajay Kumar’s close association with other incarcerated activists made him a person of interest in the false case against Prof. G.N. Saibaba, with his name mentioned in the lower courts.

Details of the Incident: On August 30, 2024 at 3:40 in the morning HRD Ajay Kumar was at his residence in Chandigarh with his wife and 9 year old daughter when 15-20 personnel raided his house and the searched his house till 12:40 in the noon. Some of them were in civilian clothes from the NIA and others were in uniform. At the time of raid Adv Ajay Kumar and his wife tried to ask for the search memo and FIR. They found that Mr. Ajay Kumar’s name was not mentioned in FIR or in any search memo. HRD Ajay Kumar submitted to NIA that he is a practicing lawyer in Punjab and Haryana High court Chandigarh and gave list of his cases which he appeared in court as lawyer. After searching the house they took a hard disc, 3 mobiles and some documents. NIA personnel served him a notice to come to NIA office at Chandigarh. Mr. Ajay Kumar went to NIA office as asked, where he was interrogated till 4:00 in the morning. At that time his wife Aarti who is also an advocate was given an arrest memo of Ajay Kumar. Mr. Ajay was continuously threatened by NIA officials to tell him names of other persons or they will send him to jail for a long time. Adv. Ajay was then arrested and taken to Lucknow and is currently in Lucknow jail. The HRD was arrested under the FIR no. RC-01/2023/NIA-LKW by NIA Lucknow under Section 154 Cr. P.C on June 19, 2023; Sections 120B, 121A of IPC and under Sections 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of the UA (P) Act, 1967.