India: Harassment against secretary of Centre for Research and Advocacy
Event- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Aug 13, 2018
- Event Description
The Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur has expressed serious concerns against the repeated arbitrary summoning of secretary, CRA, Manipur, Jiten Yumnam by Manipur Police Commandos without serving any notification or reasons. A release signed by president, CRA, Manipur, Sanaton Laishram informed that on August 13, around six Manipur police commando personnel came in a gypsy at Jiten's residence at Kwakeithel Mayaikoibi Ninthoujam Leikai around 2:30 pm and summoned him at Manipur Police Commando complex at the time when he was visiting Sikkim for environment programme. No written document and reasons were furnished to his family by the police personnel for the summon, it said. The police personnel verbally informed his mother that a case is pending against him, as a member of the Committee of Human Rights while providing no details of the case to his family, the release informed. They took pictures of his residence but did not disclose their identities and left a phone number for contacts to his family, it continued. The Manipur police commandos had earlier summoned Jiten on October 2, 2013 at Manipur Police Commando complex without serving any notification or reasons, it maintained. Such repeated order to come at police commando complex without any explanation in an extra-legal manner caused much anxiety and uncertainty for his physical integrity and mental wellbeing, and similar concerns to his family members, especially children, while also damaging his impression among his locality, it stated. Such verbal summon constitutes a continued threat and harassment to human rights defenders of Manipur, it added. The CRA, Manipur is concerned that the summon at Manipur police commando complex reminds him of the third degree torture subjected to him during his arrest, detention and interrogation on September 14, 2009, it further said. Further, there are concerns that the verbal summon at commando complex may lead to similar acts of atrocities or fabricated charges against him as happened earlier in 2009, it continued. He was arrested on September 14, 2009 as a member of the Committee on Human Rights for protesting against the infamous July 23, 2009 incident related to the killings of Chungkham Shanjit and Thockhom Rebina, the release informed. However, Jiten was among those released unconditionally on January 7, 2010 after an agreement was reached between the former, chief minister, and Apunba Lup on January 6, 2010, it further informed. And as such, all cases against him should have been withdrawn, it added. Jiten Yumnan is an environmentalist and a human rights defender, involved in protecting Manipur's environment, land, and resources and the human rights, it informed. He writes regularly for the Imphal Free Press, the E-Pao.Net and others on development and human rights concerns and challenges in Manipur, it said. The organisation urge the government of Manipur and the Manipur police to stop the verbal summoning of human rights defenders by police personnel at Imphal West Commando Complex without following due process of law, it continued. And to withdraw all FIR and close all cases filed against him, if pending, as per the agreement of Apunba Lup and the former chief minister of Manipur on January 6, 2010 related to the protest of July 23 incident, the stated. The organisation appealed authorities concerned to recognise the rights and role of human rights defenders, to ensure their security and protection and end all forms of harassment to human rights defenders as per the provisions of the UN declaration of the Rights of Human Rights Defenders, 2008 and as per the directives of the National Human Rights Commission, it added.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- NGO staff
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 20.593683999999993
Longitude: 78.96288
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 13 August 2018, Jiten Yumna, secretary of Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur was arbitrarily summoned by police.