India: activist lawyer attacked
Event- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jun 13, 2014
- Event Description
Mr. Laimayum Sevananda Sharma, aged about 35 years, S/o. L.Kedarnath Sharma, residing at Sagolband Salam Leikai, Imphal West District, Manipur. He is a Law Officer associated with Human Rights Law Network's (HLRN) Imphal center. HRLN is the network of lawyers and social activists working in solidarity with like-minded organizations and individuals to realize civil, political, economic, social, cultural, environmental rights and social justice for all. It works on promoting human rights through free / pro bono legal aid and legal awareness programmes, advocacy, networking and publications. Sharma has been associated with HRLN since 2010 and practices law at the Imphal district court and also visits different trial courts nearby, in the state of Manipur. He does pro-bono lawyering on matters like Domestic Violence, Environment etc. and has filed several Public Interest Litigations. According to the information received, on June 13th 2014 at about 6.30 p.m. while he was returning from his office in his personal two-wheeler vehicle two persons followed him in a four wheeler vehicle (car) and intercepted him. When Sharma questioned them about this, the two persons seated in the car came out and started assaulting Mr. Sharma as a result of which he suffered severe pain in his chest and fell down from his vehicle. As per the information, in the meanwhile another vehicle (TATA DI), in which about 8 Manipur Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel were travelling, also came there. Sharma identified one of the persons who assaulted him as Dhanbir Singh who is a commando with the Manipur police. Sharma managed to escape somehow and went for a medical examination on the next day i.e. on 14th July 2014, and filed a complaint before the Director General of Police for necessary immediate action. The human rights work that Sharma is involved in has brought on this attack on him and he fears such assaults in future too.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Reprisal as Result of Communication
- Sexual Violence
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Not active
- Event Location
Latitude: 24.8028836
Longitude: 93.931334
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 13 June 2014 Laimayum Sevananda Sharma, a lawyer who has worked with Human Rights Law Network (HLRN) on environment- and domestic violence-related issues, was assaulted by roughly 10 people, eight of whom were Manipur Village Defence Force (VDF) members. Mr. Sharma escaped after having been beaten, and filed a police report.