Uwazi

Mr. Pawan Rao Ambedkar Pawan is a known Ambedkarite activist in Uttar Pradesh.He is a lecturer based in Rai Bareily in Uttar Pradesh. He has been actively working against rising social and economic equality and caste discrimination in society.

According to the sources on December 19, 2019Mr. Pawan Rao Ambedkar was arrested by Uttar Pradesh during the protestsagainst Citizenship Amendment Act at Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow. The said protests were termed illegal due to imposition of Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure in the city.A case against Mr. Pawan Rao Ambedkar Pawanwas filed in Hazratganj police station in Lucknow with Case no 600/2019 under sections 147, 148, 149, 152, 307, 323, 504, 506, 332, 353, 188, 435, 436, 120 B, 427 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Section 7 of Criminal Law (Amendment) Act (CLA). He has been chargedfor rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, wrongful constraints, criminal intimidation, criminal assault on public servant etc.Mr. Pawan RaoAmbedkar had claimed that he had been falsely implicated in the matter and that he had nothing to do with the alleged protests, the State had argued that he was involved in harmingproperty and assaulting police personnel, for which he was arrested from the spot. Mr. Pawan RaoAmbedkar’sbail application was rejected on December 23, 2019 by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate,Lucknow. He was granted bail onJanuary 4,2020 by Additional District and Sessions Court no1, Lucknow.The court called into question Lucknow police’s contention that the people brought before it were directly involved in inciting violence. Hehas to wait for two-day as the formalities for hisrelease could not be completed after the bail orders.He had to spend close to 15 days in jail.

Mr. SR Darapuri (75 yrs) is a well-known ambedkarite and human rights activist. He served as an IPS Officer for more than 3 decades and was also a former IG. Darapuri has been an untiring campaigner of human rights, especially Dalit rights.After retiring fromthe police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People’s Front (Radical), a political outfit. He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.He has been a part of a number of fact-findings in cases of human rights violations of Dalits, Muslims and members of downtrodden communities, public hearings on the implementation of various social welfare schemes like food security etc.

According to information received, theUP police wascamping before the house of Mr. SR Darapuri located at Indra Nagar since 8 am on December 20, 2019 morning.Around 11:45 am, police personnel from the nearby station came in a jeep and took Darapuri with them saying that they would let him leave after some questioning. But when he did not return for 2-3 hours and he could not be reached, the family filed a complaint by calling the police helpine. After some time, his son received a call from the adjacent Ghazipur police station that Darapuri is there and that he can come and meet him. When the family members went to meet him, they came to know that the police didnot let Darapuri eat food throughout the day. At about 5 pm, he was given food and medicines brought from home. His son, Ved Kumar later got to know that he was shuttled between Gazipur and Hazratganj police stations.Darapuri was brought to Hazratganj police station, Lucknowat 1 am mid night (on December 21, 2019) when his son went again to give him food and medicine.Mr. Darapuriwas scheduled to address the press at 3 pm regarding the detentionof lawyer Mohd. Shoaib, but he was himself detained by thepolice before he could speak to the media. He has been falsely charged under sections 147, 148, 149, 152, 307, 323, 504, 506, 332, 353, 188, 435, 436, 120-B, 427 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 3, 4 of the Public Property Loss Prevention Act 1984 and Section 7 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 1932. These include allegations ranging from inciting people to violence to murderous assault on the police.Lucknow Sessions Court on January 4, 2020 granted bail to Darapurifor his alleged role in violence during protest against the amended Citizenship law on December 19, 2019. The Uttar PradeshPolice could not produce evidence against himwhen asked by the court. However Darapuricould be released only three days later as some formalities could not be completed.

Mr.Robin Verma is a social activist and has been teaching at Shia Post Graduate College, Lucknow. Hehas been helping thehuman rights group Rihai Manchwith its workin the state of Uttar Pradesh.He has been actively involved in the struggle against caste discrimination and communal divides.

According to the sourceson 20 December, 2019 Mr.Robin Verma was picked up by the police along with journalist Omar Rashid from a place near Darul-Shafa, Lucknow. According to the information providedby Omar Rashid, both Robin Vermaand he weredetained by four men in plain clothes on December 20, 2019when they were having their meal at a eaterylocated at Lalbagh. They werewaiting to get the information about the press conference to be held by the Uttar Pradeshgovernment.Then they bothwere taken to the Hazratganj police station. According to the informationreceived,the policemen who arrested them did not identify themselves and used abusivelanguageagainst them. They said that they wanted to inquire about something and took theminto their police jeep. The policemen threatened both sayingthey would book themunder Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code. Within seconds from their arrival at the police station, cops, who were already stationed there, started thrashing Robin with a thick leather belt and slapped him many times. Although Omar Rashid was released after a fewhours,but Robin Verma was sent to jail. According to the police FIR, his arrest has been shown on 21December2019 from behind Begum Hazrat Mahal Park in Lucknow.According to the police, Robin Vermaalong with others violatedsection 144 of Criminal Procedure Code. He was falsely shown as arrested on several charges, including rioting, attempted murder and assault on public servants, during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Lucknow on December 19, 2019inCase no 600/2019 under sections 147,148,149, 152, 307, 323, 504, 506, 332, 353, 188, 435, 436, 120 B, 427 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Section 7 of Criminal Law (Amendment) Actwas also slapped on him.Bail application of Robin Verma was rejected by Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow on December23,2019.Then it was moved to the Sessions Courtand he was granted bail by the Sessions Court on 7 January, 2020. Hehasspent close to 17days in jail during harsh weather.HRDA would like to point out that apart from illegal arrest, detention and custodial tortureonRobin Verma, hewas alsosuspended from his jobas a Professor on contractual basis at ShiaPost Graduate College, Lucknow. Illegal arrest and detention of Robin Verma highlightsthe treatment being meted out to human rights defendersarrested in the aftermath of anti-CAA protests in Uttar Pradesh.

Vyapam scam whistleblower Ashish Chaturvedi is said to have been threatened for taking up the issue of illegal colonies in certain parts of the state.

The anti-graft activist, known for his noted exposures in the Vyapam scam has lodged a complaint with Jhansi Road police following which an inquiry was lodged into the matter.

The Vyapam case refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam for admission in professional courses and state services.

Sources said an anti-mafia squad, formed by Gwalior collector, has also taken cognizance of the threat issued to the activist.

Chaturvedi told News18 he came across some documents that suggested several colonies were built on encroached land by a group of builders. Soon after, he had served legal notices to the builders through his lawyer and wanted to know about the colonies and unsuspecting buyers.

On Saturday, he said he received a call on his cellphone and the caller asked him about the notice he had served to the builders.

When the activist told the person to instead make a written reply to the notice, the unidentified caller started abusing him and even threatened to eliminate him. A case has been lodged against the unidentified caller under sections 292, 506 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Recently, the Kamal Nath-led government had announced to take action against the Mafiosi prevalent across the state, following which officials in Indore, Gwalior and Bhopal swung into action.

On Saturday, a restaurant owned by local BJP leader Pravin Sharma in Gwalior was razed down and dismantled a garden built over a nullah. The garden was owned one Abdul Razzaq.

In Gwalior, officials demolished the fourth floor of a building owned by a builder.

In Bhopal, the Economic Offence Wing of the MP Police lodged a case against Ghanshyam Rajput and 24 others in an illegal land acquisition case of Rohit Housing Society. The society has been under the authorities’ lens for years for alleged land irregularities.

Dr. Anoop Shramik isa Dalit rights activist and human rights defender. He is the Convener of Rashtriya Inquilabi Dalit Adivasi Manchwhich is a network of Dalit rightsactivists.He obtained his PhD degree from Poorvanchal University, Jaunpurin Uttar Pradesh for his research work onsexual harassment of Dalit women at workplaces.He was also associated with Dalit Foundation as its Regional Coordinator for North. He has been socially active for over more than 15 years. He has been taking up issues related to violence against women, rights of people engaged in, or employed for any sanitation workand health rights of the children of disadvantaged section of the society.Dr. Anoop Shramik also works with National Forum for Special Component Planfor Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.He has been awarded by the President of India in 2003 for leadership as a best cadet on behalf on Bharat Scouts and Guides, New Delhi.

According to information received,on December 19, 2019 Dr. Anoop Shramikwas arrested from Beniyabag ground in Varanasi around 12. 30 pmby the Uttar Pradesh policeduring the peaceful protest march against CAA and NRC.He was taken to the police lineand was booked under section 151 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)for violatingSection 144 of the CrPCand for charges of breach of peace. Around 4.30 pmhealong with others weresent to jail. A case was filed against Dr. Anoop Shramikin Chetganj police station in Varanasi by the police and he wasbooked undersections147, 148, 149, 188, 332, 341, and 353of the Indian Penal Code(IPC). The police also slapped charges under the 7Criminal Law Amendment(CLA) Acton him.The sections range from violent rioting with deadly weapons to assaulting a public servant.HRD Dr. Anoop Shramik’sfamily was not provided the copy of the First Information Report (FIR). For 3 days in the jail no body from the family was allowed to meet him. HRDA was informed that on the bail application the Sub Divisional Magistraterefused to put signature. The family were told that on theverbal order of the government of Uttar Pradesh, the District Magistrate has put a ban on the legal proceduresto be followed in the case by the family or friends of the defender. Family members and friends of Dr. Anoop Shramikwere not allowed to visit him in jail and they were prevented outside. On the day of hearing on bail, hewas put up in the lock up by the police without informing the court. Among 56 people arrested by the policein Varanasion December 19, 2019, 53 were granted bail on January1, 2019 and released from jail. Dr. Anoop Shramikwas not granted bail. Instead Varanasi police filed anotherfabricated case against him in Lanka police station under sections 153 Aand 153 Bof IPCwhich criminalizes promoting enmity between social and religious groups.The case relatesto a pamphlet distributed to oppose NRC in which the contact number of HRD Dr. Anoop Shramikwasmentioned.According to media reports, HRDs are being threatened to be booked under draconianand repressiveNationalSecurity Act (NSA).Dr. Anoop Shramikwaslodged in Chokaghat Jail in Varanasi. He was finally granted bail by Additional Sessions Judge, Court number 07, Varanasi on 6 January, 2020. Hehasspent close to 19days in jail. His arbitrary arrest and detention is a thinly-veiled attempt by the Indian authorities to discourage peaceful dissent in the country.In Uttar Pradesh the government is misusing several repressive laws toharass, criminalize and detainhuman rights defenders and silence dissent.Cases have also been reported of torture and ill-treatment of activists by the police.

Arrested Assam RTI activist Akhil Gogoi alleged he was subjected to “torture” in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

“I am being tortured. I appeal to the people to not suspend the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) but continue them,” he told journalists while being produced in a court of the NIA in Guwahati on Tuesday.

He was brought to the city in a flight from Jorhat for production in the NIA court. The court remanded him in ten days’ NIA custody.

The RTI activist, who is also a leader of peasants’ body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samitee, was charged with sedition, intention to cause riot against national integration, punishment for criminal conspiracy and unlawful association under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Gogoi was arrested by the police on Thursday from Jorhat. Two days later, he was handed over to the NIA in a case registered against him earlier by the Chandmari police station in Guwahati. The case pertains to his alleged link with the CPI Maoists.

The protestors of CAA said by arresting Gogoi, the government was trying to muzzle the voices of protest. They demanded his immediate release.

Prior to the violent incidents in Guwahati and elsewhere in Assam surrounding the CAA, Gogoi was spearheading the protests. He had then appealed to people to come out of their houses and stage the protests. He had told them that 1.9 crore “Hindu Bangladeshis” would come to Assam and this would pose a grave threat to the state’s land, language, culture among others.

Eight journalists and camera crew of Kerala-based TV channels, who had interviewed relatives of those killed in the December 19 police firing during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, were released seven hours after being detained by police in front of the Government Wenlock hospital on Friday, sources said.

The scribes were taken to Thalappady bordering Kerala from Mangaluru south police station where they were kept till late in the afternoon, they said.

Journalists from News 24, Media One, Asianet, News18 and Mathrubhumi were prevented from reporting in Mangaluru, taken into custody and kept in a van for three hours after which they were taken to Mangaluru south police station, the sources said.

Cameras and mobile phones seized from them were returned after they were taken to Thalappady.

A top police officer told the scribes that only those with Karnataka accreditation should report from there. The news channels had interviewed the relatives of the two men killed on Thursday during the protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner PS Harsha had earlier issued a statement, saying that a few people did not have accreditation cards issued by any authority and were being questioned.

Karnataka Home Minister Baswaraj Bhomai in Bengaluru blamed the violence in the city on groups from Kerala. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the detention and said the onslaught on media freedom was indicative of a fascist mind set.

A woman journalist alleged that police personnel broke her phone, hurled abuses and pulled her hair when she was covering a protest against the citizenship law outside Jamia Millia University here on Sunday night.

"I came here for BBC's coverage. They (police persons) took away my phone and broke it. They hit me with a baton," journalist Bushra Sheikh told ANI here.

She alleged that a policeman also pulled her hair.

"When I asked them for my phone they hurled abuses at me. I didn't come here for fun. I came here for coverage," she added.

A police person also sustained injuries as the protest turned violent outside the university.

According to police, protestors pelted stones at policemen who were deployed to control the situation.

On Friday, 12 policemen sustained injuries in the students' protest.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act grants citizenship to refugees of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

According to our sources, on December 10, 2019, MASUMorganised an event,on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day at the Ranu Chhaya Mancha, in front of Academy of Fine Arts, Cathedral Road, Maidan in Kolkata.This place falls under the jurisdiction of Hastings Police Station. MASUM has been celebrating the International Human Rights Day by organising a human rights fair for the past 22 years. Various dignitaries, lawyers, human rights activists, academics, cultural performers and CSOs actively participated inthe said fair this year.The cultural programme was initiated at around 12 noon with an inaugural song,followed by a speech by Mr. Dipyaman Adhikary, the Assistant Secretary of MASUM. At around 12.45 PM, a few policemen in plain clothes arrived at the venue and stated that they are from Hastings Police Station. They however produced no identity of who exactly they were. They asked Mr.Roy to stop using the microphone in the event as no prior permission to use plugged sound hadbeen taken. The HRDsinformedthemthat an email seeking permission to organise the event was sent to the Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners and Hastings Police Station of Kolkata on November 28, 2019. However, no response was received from any of the officers. The policemen (who were without their uniform) who had not produced their identity cards then said that they will not allow the HRDsto continue with the event by using microphone without the written permissionof the police. However,they allowed the use of megaphone provided the members visit the Hastings Police Station immediately and submit a written application regarding the usage. The members of MASUM refused to go to the police station.As according to requirements of Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, there should be a registration of FIR and a proper notice should be served if a police officer requires attendance ofwitnesses in the police station. The police personnel then backed off a little andaskedthe HRDsto write an application there itself, which they wouldtake to the police station andpermission to use microphone wouldbe granted subsequently.As a token of protestand given that MASUM had already communicated on November 28, 2019,members of MASUMrefused to submit the application and decided to continue the event without plugged sound. The event was initiated again with a megaphone and continued till 6:30 PM. HRDA would like to mention that at the same time two other events were also going on where loud sound was played; one just across the road at 'Mohor Kunja' and another behind the arena of victims at'Nandan' premise.The Human Rights Fair organised by MASUM is a prestigious event organised every year with an aimto bring together various civil society organisations, dignitaries and professionals to display their publications. Justice (retd.) Asok Ganguly, former judge of the Supreme Court of India,also inaugurated two of his books during the event. Under the present circumstances,we strongly protest the autocratic and tyrannical actions of the police in order to suppress a human rights eventon exactly the International Human Rights Day. It is anirony that a peaceful human rights event was hampered on the auspicious occasion of Human Rights Day by the state forces. The action of the police is violative of fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and freedom of peaceful assembly as provided by Article 19 of the Indian Constitutionand upheld in all the recent standards developed by the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

According to the information received on 10 December, 2019 Uttar Pradesh police registered an FIRagainst 20 namedand 500 other unnamed student human right defendersof Aligarh Muslim University in Civil Lines police station, Aligarh in connection with their protest against the passage of the controversialCitizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Indian Parliamentand the proposed implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country.On 10 December, 2019 evening, the AMU students took out apeaceful protest march from the University Library totheBab-E-Sayyed gate, varsity's designated spot for protests and public meetings.According to the AMU studentstheir protestwas totallypeaceful and it’s their democratic right to raise voice against Citizenship Amendment Bill(CAB)which is not just against the letter and spirit of the Constitution but is designed to polarise Indian people on communal lines and divide the country.Students were demanding the immediate withdrawal of the bill.According to the police,casesagainst the students werefiled for defying prohibitory orders under Section 144 which prohibits gathering of more than four people, and holding a protest near Faiz Gate in the campus.According to the police the students had violated this provision by marching up to the University Circle and trying to disturb the peace.The Police FIR saysthe provisions ofSection 144 had been in effect since November 8, 2019, and thestudents had beencharged under Sections under Section 144 (Joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of Indian Penal Codeby the District Administration.Sources informed that one of the coordinators of the peaceful protest march Mr. Sharjeel Usmani was threatened by the local police and he was told that he would be charged under National Security Act (NSA) if he fails to withdraw himself from the student activism.The controversial Citizenship Bill has sparked protests and agitations across the country, with many calling it "unconstitutional" and against the secular idea of India. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was passed with a majority of 311 votes against 80 votes in Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Indian Parliamenton December 9, 2019.The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered Indiaon or before December 31, 2014. It thereby extendsan opportunity for grant of citizenship to select minority communities of select neighbouring nations. According to the protesting students the Citizenship Amendment Bill’s blatant exclusion of a community is discriminatory and divisivebecause the bill leavesout refugees such as Rohingyas from Myanmar or Tamils from Sri Lanka or Ahmadiyyas from Pakistan. The amendments by giving special privileges to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jain, Parsis and Christians from these three countries, single out Muslims for exclusion.Students say the focus on only three countries shows as if these constitute the only possiblesources of asylum-seekers. By distinguishing illegal immigrants on the basis of religion, the bill violates the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution —including Articles 14,15, 16 and 21 which guarantee the right to equality; equality before the law; and non-discriminatory treatment by the Indian state.

The Uttar Pradesh Police assaulted activist Deepak Kabir and imprisoned him in Lucknow on Friday after he went to a police station to inquire about some people missing since an anti-Citizenship Act protest the day before, his wife Veena Rana has claimed. The 48-year-old was arrested on charges of rioting and preventing public servants from performing their duty, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday, quoting a relative.

Rana met Kabir in the prison on Sunday and posted an update on Facebook. She said she had no information about Kabir till Saturday. Rana claimed Kabir’s phone was snatched away, he was beaten up in the name of interrogation, and was sent to jail late on Friday night.

Rana said Kabir rarely takes medicines, but in jail he asked her for a painkiller.

The relative The Telegraph talked to said Kabir was assaulted with “batons and rifle butts” by six policemen. The police allegedly asked him why he was concerned about “criminals”. The activist’s bail plea will be heard on Tuesday.

Dhirendra Kushwaha, the station house officer at Hazratganj, alleged that Kabir was “involved in violent protests and created a scene while we were working.”

However, according to The Times of India, Kabir was among several persons who were arrested on the basis of interrogation of three suspected office-bearers of Islamic fundamentalist outfit Popular Front of India. On Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma had blamed the organisation for the violence in Lucknow.

Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani told reporters that those arrested initially, including the group’s state President Wasim Ahmad, had confessed to their involvement in the violence. “Based on their confessions, we have arrested a few others who mobilised crowds for the protests and perpetrated violence,” he added.

On the arrests made later, including that of Kabir, Naithani said: “Their call data records and messaging apps showed that they were in regular touch with PFI’s UP unit office-bearers since December 8 and mobilised crowds for the protests using social media.”

Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav tweeted that Kabir had joined a peaceful protest on December 19 in Hazratganj. He shared a copy of a first information report in which Kabir’s name was added at the end by hand in a list of accused booked under several criminal charges.

Kabir, who is a poet and theatre actor, organises the Kabir Festival in Lucknow every year. Social activists Robin Verma and Sadaf Jafar have also been arrested by the state police.

Despite widespread outrage over the arrest of actress, politician and activist Sadaf Jafar during Thursday's massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act in Lucknow and allegations of severe assault in the custody, the police have claimed that they have "enough proof" against her.

Ms Jafar was arrested from Lucknow's Parivartan Chowk where a government bus, media vans and private vehicles were set on fire after the protests spiraled out of control. She was live on Facebook, showing the destruction in the area, when cops caught her.

In the video that she shared on Facebook, Ms Jafar is heard asking why only a few cops were on duty in the area despite a huge turnout of protesters.

A woman constable can be seen forcefully grabbing her. "Aap mujhe kaise giraftaar kar rahe hain... jinhone pathar phenka hai unko to tum pakad nahin paaye (Why are you arresting me.... Those who were throwing stones, you could not arrest them)," she can be heard asking the cop. "Tumhare saath they na woh buddhe (Those old men were with you. Weren't they?)", the constable then asks her.

Ms Jafar's family has alleged that she was taken to a police station in the area, assaulted by cops and then sent to the prison after a medical examination. "I saw her in so much pain. She was hurting because she was beaten with batons, kicked in belly... she had started bleeding," her sister Naheed said in a statement after visiting her in prison.

The UP Police have denied assault and said they have "enough proof" against her. "She was with the rioters and we arrested her from the site of protest. We followed protocol and got her medical test done. We have enough proof against her and allegations against the police are baseless," senior police officer Suresh Chandra Rawat said in a statement released on Twitter.

Acclaimed director Mira Nair also demanded the release of "A Suitable Boy" actress. "This is our India now - Appalling: our #SuitableBoy actress, Sadaf Jafar, beaten and jailed for peaceful protest in Lucknow! Join me in demanding her release," she wrote on Twitter.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted about her arrest, accusing the police of oppression. "Our party worker Sadaf Zafar was telling the cops to catch unruly elements, but the UP Police beat her up badly and arrested her. She has two children. This is high-handedness (zyaadtee) and this type of oppression will not work," she tweeted last night.

Among others arrested in Lucknow over Thursday's clashes include Mohd Shoaib, a 76-year-old human rights lawyer, and SR Darapuri, a former IPS officer and noted theatre artist Deepak Kabir.

Multiple reports have emerged of the police picking up bystanders in the protests and those who were protesting peacefully.

"My brother, 22-year-old Faiz Ahmed Khan, was picked up by the police along with two other friends - Syed Fahad and Mohd Saifal - when he was returning from the protests at the Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow on Thursday. He and his friends were demonstrating peacefully. They did not resort to any violence . When they were returning, a policeman asked them for their names. They were then forcibly arrested... they had no stones or any weapon on them. We are trying to get legal help," said Noor Saba, sister of one of the protesters.

Lucknow based senior lawyer and president of human rights group Rihai Manch, Mohammad Shoaib, has gone untraceable in police custody, claimed his family members and close friends. He was detained by the UP police ahead of the scheduled nationwide protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

“First, he was put under house arrest, later he was detained by the police. However, the police kept misleading us about his whereabouts. They have not disclosed his location yet,” said his colleague Rajiv Yadav of Rihai Manch over the phone on Friday morning.

“Police have not named Shoaib in any FIR. Some said he was taken to the Qaisar Bagh station, while others said he was detained at the Cantonment Police station or at the Hazratganj station,” added Yadav.

According to Yadav, Shoaib was detained around 11.45 pm on Thursday night. Two police personnel were also sent to his house a few hours later to collect his medicines.

Along with Shoaib, activist Sadaf Jafar and scores of other activists were arrested by the police. “She is also untraceable. We don’t know anything about her despite her arrest,” said Yadav who is also facing a case for protesting against CAA. Apart from Shoaib, Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey and retired IPS officer SR Darapuri were also under house arrest by UP police.

The Uttar Pradesh police had on Wednesday issued notices to more than 3,000 people across the state, cautioning them to not participate in protests against the CAA.

“I am asked not to move out and three policemen are at my gate,” Shoaib was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. Shoaib along with 3000 people was served with a notice by police, advising them not to take part in anti-CAA protest.

PUCL strongly condemns the motivated, targeted and brutal attack by the CRPF and Delhi Police on students of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi yesterday, Sunday 15th December, 2019 causing serious injuries to over 150 students including girls, and also arrest of scores of students and youngsters. By all media reports and eye witness accounts, the brutal charge of the police forces was unprovoked and unwarranted as the students were peacefully protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and the NRC.

The Vice Chancellor and the Proctor of Jamia Millia Islamia University have come on record that the Police forces entered into the University campus in the evening of 15th December, 2019 without either seeking permission from the University authorities or having been called by the University officials. In fact the police forces are reported to have entered into the Zakir Hussain Library inside JMI University and beat up any young person found there irrespective of whether they had participated in the earlier student protest or were scholars working inside the library. Many girl students have also reported that the police forces put off the lights in the girls hostels so that CC TV Cameras inside the campus will not be able to film and document the sexual harassment. The police forces are reported to have ransacked the hostels and the library, violently beating anyone they found causing severe injuries.

Today, 16.12.2019, media reports that students of Delhi University who protested against the violence unleashed against fellow students of AMU and Jamia Millia were once again beaten mercilessly by the Delhi Police.

Student protests against the CAA and NRC have been reported from across the country and aggressive police action has been reported in states with BJP ruled governments.

PUCL expresses its serious concern over the misuse of the law and legal machinery by the present Central Government to suppress and silence student’s voices and stifle and crush the protests of ordinary citizens against the inequitable and communally discriminatory CAA and NRC. The abuse of police powers and violent use of force to crush dissent seen in the last 2 days in Delhi and other places is part of the growing trend of using brutal police powers to intimidate and stifle any protest to central government policies and if voices are indeed raised, then to crush them through physical, targeted police violence, false prosecution and violent reprisals.

PUCL also strongly condemns the reported statement of the Finance Minister, Ms. Nirmala Seetharaman, who is reported to have stated that we have to be “wary that the student protests are not hijacked by Jihadists, Maoists or separatists”. The attempt of the State to dub and link any citizen’s protest as being Jihadist, Maoist or separatist is done with the aim to not only tarnish the image of the democratic protests but also act as a sinister warning to others to refrain from joining the protests or else they will face arrests as jihadists or terrorists themselves and get embroiled in anti-terrorist law cases.

It is a matter of great regret and is indeed unfortunate, that when mention was made before the Chief Justice’s Bench of the Supreme Court today about the serious threat to life and liberty of students caused by unprovoked police violence against students committed inside the Jamia Millia Islamia University Campus, the Court chose to remark, “Let the rioting stop first … We will determine the rights, but not in this atmosphere of riots … the riots must be stopped” and posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday (17th December). It is distressing to note that even when a grave situation of serious threat to life and liberty of students and protestors existed caused by violent reprisals of the police acting in an unprovoked, brutal manner, the apex court instead of urging the police to act within the confines of law while dealing with the protests, chose to approach the issue as through it was the students who were indulging in riots and refused to intervene immediately.

PUCL is constrained to point out that such an approach of the SC of refraining from taking immediate action when complaint is made to the court of serious threat to life and liberty of citizens, allegedly being committed by the police and Security forces (as in the present case), seems to be part of the recent practice adopted by the apex Court; it is also in line with the Court’s approach seen while dealing with complaints of massive state wide human rights violations committed by Security Forces and police in Kashmir, following the abrogation of Art. 370. PUCL would like to point out that in a situation where the state is the primary violator of human rights, delaying judicial intervention and failing to seek accountability from the State on the ground that the citizen is equally responsible for the conflict situation, unfairly tilts the scales of justice in favour of the state and is a distortion of the Constitutional order and rule of law. In a way of speaking, it also amounts to an abdication by the apex court of its role as the protector of the citizen’s fundamental rights to life, liberty and fundamental freedoms against an all powerful State.

The situation is fast spiraling out of control with a vengeful Central government clearly permitting the police forces to use their brute power to silence, crush and intimidate ordinary citizens from protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC. It is important that citizens across the country should raise their voices demanding the government to immediately stop police action against protestors, provide immediate medical aid to all injured students and drop all criminal cases filed against students of different universities. We also demand an unbiased, independent enquiry into the police action against students of Jamia Millia Islamia University, AMU, Delhi University and other Universities and criminal prosecutions against all policemen found to have violated the laws of the land.

Mr. Abhimanyu Panda, aged 54 years, was a RTI activist, leader of anti-liquor movement, former sarpanch of Bataguda Gram Panchayat and ex-vice chairperson of Baliguda block. He was an executive body member of Jagannath Temple, Puri. The HRD was filing RTIs from the past eight years to expose corruption and irregularities in the government development work. His recent RTI was filed for the four blocks of the Kandhamal district which infuriated the contractors and the public distribution service (PDS) dealers. He also filed RTIs about the irregularities in the management of Jagannath Temple.

According to sources, on December 10, 2019, at about 7.30 AM, noted RTI activist, Mr Abhimanyu Panda was shot dead in front of his house in Patrasahi village, Kandhamal district, Odisha. His village falls under the jurisdiction of the Baliguda police station. The assailants, on a bike, used a revolver to open fire from a close range and sped away. Hearing the sound of firing, the locals gathered and rushed him to the Baliguda district hospital where the doctors subsequently declared him brought dead. A cousin brother of Mr. Panda, Mr Nirmal Kumar Sahu, on the day of incident, at 8.30AM, reported to the police in writing about the death of his brother. A FIR has been registered under Section 302 and 304 of IPC read with Section 25 and 29 of the Arms Act. On the basis of the complaint, four perpetrators have been identified by the police. According to the copy of the FIR, at the time of death of the HRD, the assailants argued with him on the Jagannath temple issue and uttered “TU BADA BADA LOKANKA BIRUDHARE JAUCHHU TOTE MARIDEBU” (you are going against prominent people, we will kill you). We would like to bring this to your notice that one of the last RTIs filed by the HRD was on the irregularities in the management of the temple. The HRD was also vocal about irregularities in the government work. The HRD received various threats due to his activism. According to sources, in the past, District Superintendent of Excise had threatened Mr Pandaand asked him to withdraw one of his case. The threat was in furtherance of a case filed by Mr Pandain which the High Court subsequently decided in his favourand ordered for closing down of the liquor shop. The RTI activism of Mr Pandaforms the motive of the death. Mr Panda informed the police about the various threats he was receiving but still the police failed to provide protection to him. This incident is a result of inaction on the part of police and other state authorities. According to a statement given by Pradeep Pradhan, leading RTI activist and Convener of Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhiyan, RTI activists in Odisha have been facing harassment and threats over their RTI applications from the past 3 years. The activists have lodged FIRs regarding the threats and torture, but the police and the state government have not taken any action till date. Other RTI activists who have suffered due to police action are Krupasindhu Sahu, Ganesh Panda, Suresh Lanka etc. They have been brutally attacked and murdered for exposing corruption in government schemes and projects. Since the RTI Act has been enacted in the year 2005, various cases of assaults and killings of RTI activists have been reported. The activists have been instrumental in exposing corruption and bringing transparency in the governance system. The only way to curb the menace is well established mechanism consisting of defined procedures and quick action by the police officials on complaints of RTI users.

According to the information received, on November24, 2019, RTI activist and HRD Mr. Parmar was going out of his village Khopalaon his bike along with his brother Mr. Vinod Parmar. They were on their way to Lakhanka village from Khopala. Around 2.30 pm when they reached at Pipal road,nearly 8 kilometres from their village,they were intercepted by four men unknown to the defender who had came on two bikes. They were carrying iron rods and batons. They started hitting the HRD repeatedly with iron rods and abused him by hurling derogatory casteist remarks. Mr. Parmar was also threatened and asked to withdraw the RTI application he had filed recently. Physical attack and beating continued for 5 to 10 minutes. The HRD suffered fractures in both his legs and hands. His elbow also suffered fracture. His lower limbs were also severely injured as a result of the beating inflicted by the assailants. His brother Mr. Vinod Parmar was also roughed up by the assailants. HRD’s brother Mr. Vinod Parmar called on 108 for emergency ambulance through which he was taken to the government hospital and admitted. Sources informed that the assault was carried out by men closely associated with the village sarpanch. RTI activist, Mr. Parmar was earlier threatened by the husband of village sarpanch Ms. Vimala Gabani. He was threatened to withdraw the RTI application filed by him or else he would face dire consequences. Because of the injuries suffered, the HRD had to undergo two surgical operations - one on his left hand and other on his leg. He is still in the hospital and receiving treatment. The Botad Police has filed a case against sarpanch Ms. Gabani, her husband Mr. Jasmat Gabani, son Mr. Sanjay Gabani and four unknown persons under Indian Penal Code sections 324, 325, 504, 506 (2) for causing hurt by dangerous weapon, causing grievous hurt, intentional insult and criminal intimidation along with sections of the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act. The case has been transferred to SC/ST cell of Botad Police, Gujarat. However, the police has failed to arrestany of the accused yet.The Hon’ble Commission is once again appraised that manyRTI activists have been harassed and even murdered for seeking information to "promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority". Many face assaults on a regular basis. seeking information from their gram panchayat and the local administration also face social ostracism. RTI activists are vulnerable HRDs. Unlike other HRDs, a majority of the RTI activists are not part of an organisation; they often act alone, moved by anger at corruption and other illegal activities. RTI activists are vulnerable because they live in the same areas as authorities and political leaders who do not want information about their activities to disclosed. For the most part, human rights defenders receive media attention only when killed or seriously injured. When complaints are made by RTI activists, law enforcement personnel (who often work with corrupt officials) do not take appropriate action. The Central Information Commissionand State Information Commissions are not mandated to deal with such threats or attacks or to provide protection when needed. Attacks on RTI users have not ceased despite directions from several information commissions and state governments to protect them from harm. Further, per the Declaration on HRDs in the context of human rights violations by third parties, the obligation to protect, first, involves ensuring that defenders do not suffer from violations of their rights by non-State actors. Failure to protect could, in particular circumstances, engage the State‘s responsibility. Even acts and omissions committed by non-State actors under the instructions, control or direction of the State can, under certain circumstances, give rise to State responsibility. Therefore, it is paramount that prompt and full investigations are conducted and perpetrators brought to justice. Failure by States to prosecute and punish such is a clear violation of Article 12 of the Declaration on HRDs.

Journalists in Guwahati have demanded a high-level probe into an alleged attack on a colleague in a secluded part of the city on Friday night.

Police said Naresh Mitra, a journalist renowned for his reportage on environment and wildlife, was brought to the Gauhati Medical College by unidentified people. Given the severity of his injuries, his family later shifted him to the Nem-Care Super Specialty Hospital.

It was initially believed that Mr Mitra, who used to pedal to work on a bicycle every day, may have been hit from behind by a vehicle. But doctors who operated on him later said it was more likely to have been a case of assault, a press statement issued by the Journalists' Forum Assam (JFA) read.

The JFA demanded a thorough probe into the case. "We strongly demand a high-level probe into the incident where Naresh got injured that night. Moreover, we wish his early recovery and express hope that he would be able to explain the situation soon," the statement, signed by association president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria, read.

Guwahati Police said the incident may have occurred while Mr Mitra was returning home from work around 10:30 pm. They have launched a probe, and are currently trying to procure CCTV footage to stitch together the sequence of events leading to the alleged attack.

According to family members, there were no external injuries on the senior journalist's body and his bicycle didn't seem to have been damaged either. They said that although Mr Mitra was awake in the initial hours, even speaking to those attending to him, he slowly lapsed into unconsciousness.

According to sources on 18 November, 2019, the Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union (JNUSU) organized a peaceful march towards Parliament on the first day of the Winter Session to protest against the hostel fee hikein Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Thousands of studentsfrom JNU, carrying placards and chanting slogans, participated in the march towards Parliament, demanding a total rollback of the hostel fee hike and withdrawal of the draft hostel manual which imposes dress codes and curfew timings. In response authorities imposed prohibitory orders both outside the parliament building and around the JNU campus, and set up barricades near Safdarjung Tomb in South Delhi to stop them from advancing any further. The protesters, who carried banners that read "save public education", "fees must fall" and "ensure affordable hostels for all", were stopped at multiple points on their march. The JNU administration had on 13 November, 2019 announced a partial roll back in the fee hike. However, the protesting students dubbed the move as eyewash and demanded that the JNUSU be treated as a stakeholder by the administration and the Ministryof Human Resource and Development. They also reiterated their demand for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor on the university.The police authorities deployed ten companies outside JNU. The protesters were initially allowed to proceed but were stopped barely half a kilometer from the JNU campus by the police. Around 3.30 pm the students managed to reach Safdarjung Tomb near Lodhi Roadwhere they were stopped by the police again. The first round of lathicharge took place here. Over 100 students were detained by the Delhi Police and students suffered injuries after the police baton charged the protests. Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University allegedthat over 10 students, including the visually and physically challenged, were injured due to the "brutality" of police personnel. JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, general secretary Satish Yadav and former JNUSU president N Sai Balaji were among several detained and allegedly taken to Delhi Cantt, Kalkaji and Badarpur police stations — where they claimed they were beaten up. Since students were not allowed to move theythen sat on the main roadat Safdarjung Tomb near Lodhi Road, singing songs, while negotiations between JNUSU and police continued. After around 6.30 pm streetlights were soon switched off and a second round of lathicharge took place, after which over 50 personnel escorted students to INA Metro station. Several students have reportedly been severely injured following the lathicharge by police. Following theprotest, videos surfaced showing personnel of the Delhi police beating up students, including girls, in a brutal manner. A particular video doing the rounds on social media shows a male student being forcibly led into a police vehicle while profusely bleeding from the head. Media reported that the Delhi police is going to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against protesting students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for flouting Section 144 (which prevents unlawful assembly) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which was imposed in the area surrounding the university campus and the Parliament, to prevent students from joining the agitation on 18 November, 2019. It is pointed out that the state through police is in full action to suppress the voice of students protesting for a genuine cause which is subsidized education. The police through its modus operandi aretrying to repress a democratic movement. Manhandling of students by Delhi police including women and visually challenged (which is doing rounds of social media) amounts to being barbaric, committal of atrocity and show of excessive use of force. It is further said that the police has created a situation wherein the students protesting peacefully are being shownas rioting, gathering unlawfully and obstructing public servants from discharging their public function. This is nothing but just framing the students are exercising their constitutional right to assembly peacefully and right to protest for a cause.

It began when Rana Ayyub, who is nowadays a Washington Post columnist, posted a cryptic message on Twitter on 8 November about the ruling that India’s supreme court was due to issue the next day on a fraught 30-year-old dispute between Hindus and Muslims over a religious site in the northern city of Ayodhya. It ended with the words, “I hope my country does not disappoint me tomorrow.”

It immediately unleashed a torrent of Twitter insults and calls for Ayyub to be raped or murdered that were orchestrated by trolls linked to the Hindu nationalist movement. Even more amazingly, it elicited a threat of legal action that came from the Twitter account of the police in Amethi, a town 100 km south of Ayodhya.

Posted less than half an hour after Ayyub’s original tweet, it said: “You have just made a political comment. Delete it immediately otherwise legal action will be taken against you by @amethipolice.” Amethi has no jurisdiction over either Ayodhya or Mumbai, the city where Ayyub lives.

Ayyub, who is currently on a visit to the United States, told RSF that, because of this threat, she feared that could be arrested on her return to the India. The message has not been disowned by India’s home affairs ministry.

“Police wanting to prosecute a journalist for making a so-called ‘political comment’ is something one might expect from the worst dictatorships,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “Either someone hacked into the Amethi police Twitter account, which would indicate serious incompetence, or the police are complicit in a campaign of calls for Rana Ayyub’s murder. We urge the home affairs ministry to conduct an internal investigation to identify these responsible for this unacceptable scandal.”

Wave of hate

The author “Gujarat Files,” a book examining the rise to power of Narendra Modi, who was reelected as prime minister by a clear majority in May, Ayyub is one of the favourite targets of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s notorious army of trolls.

In April 2018, RSF condemned an earlier and unprecedented wave of online hate messages against Ayyub, in which her phone number and address were posted online. RSF referred the case to the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, who then wrote to the Indian authorities requesting protection for Ayyub.

This kind of campaign is orchestrated by followers of Hindutva, an ideological blend of fascism and Hindu nationalism that inspired Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

India is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index.

On November 13, Telangana police submitted documents to the Lal Bahadur Nagar Metropolitan Magistrate, which CPJ reviewed, accusing Venugopal, editor of Telugu monthly Veekshanam, of being part of a Maoist conspiracy against the state.

Venugopal, who spoke to CPJ via phone, said he has not been arrested or formally charged. If the magistrate accepts the police allegations, it could issue a warrant for his arrest any day, he said.

Venugopal could face a fine and two to seven years in prison under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Telangana Public Security Act if charged and convicted of being part of a conspiracy.

Venugopal told CPJ he had been a member of a group that authorities allege is affiliated with a Maoist party, the Revolutionary Writers Association, but left it in 2009. The association was previously banned but is now legally permitted, according to Indian news website The Wire.

“Accusing a journalist of conspiracy is a threat to press freedom and shows the government is intolerant of criticism,” said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ’s senior Asia researcher, in New York. “Police should immediately drop their allegations against Nellutla Venugopal and stop threatening journalists with legal action.”

Venugopal filed a case in the Telangana High Court, which has jurisdiction over the metropolitan magistrate, to have the allegations against him dismissed, he said.

Venugopal frequently writes critical pieces about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, according to The Wire.

In a statement, which CPJ reviewed, Veekshanam’s editorial team said Venugopal had repeatedly disassociated himself from the Revolutionary Writers Association and said that “though he holds progressive, democratic and left views, that does not mean that he has to be a member of any organisation.”

Venugopal is also accredited by the state government as a journalist and writes a regular column in the newspaper Nava Telangana, he told CPJ.

CPJ found that though Venugopal’s name was listed on the court documents, there was no mention of any evidence against him.

CPJ texted the Telangana director general of police for comment but did not receive a response.

In October, Telangana police arrested journalist Ravi Prakash after he refused to withdraw two interviews on alleged corruption in the state, as CPJ reported at the time.

Mr Kurban Ali is associated with the Afkar India Foundation, which is a grass-roots human rights organisation based in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. He has also been associated with ‘AmanBiradari’ for the last two years. Aman Biradri is a nationwide people’s campaign for a secular, peaceful, just and humane world. Kurban Ali has been working on issues of education and women’s right. He has also been using the Right to Information (RTI) to highlight issues of public concern and functioning of governance structures. In the past, he hasfaced several threats from the officials of state electricity and education departments for filing RTIs to expose corrupt practices. The others who have been named in the police FIR are Mr Naushad, Mr Faran, admin of the Haji Babla Fan Club and two unknown.

According to information received, on November 2, 2019, a criminal case (FIR 564/2019) was filed against Kurban Ali and five others in the Kandhla Polic Station of Shamli under Sections 147,148,149,452,307, 504, 506 of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act [IT Act],on a complaint by Afzal Ali. It is to be noted that Afzal Ali is the same person who in the past harassed Mr. Ashif and others, to whom the HRDs had been extending legal ssistance. This clearly shows that it is an act to supress the voices of the victims of mob lynching and the HRD from resorting to available legal options to claim relief. The recurring incidents of intimidation and attacks on the HRDs pose a direct threat to theirsafety and security. It also impinges their fundamental right to freedom of life and liberty, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. In order to enable HRDs to pursue their crucial work in the field, it is of utmost importance that congenial atmosphere needs to be created for the smooth working of the HRDs.

According to the information received, on November 5, 2019 at8:10 AM, Dhananjay was abducted and brought to the Bihar Police Station in Bihar Sharif town of district Nalanda by a police team lead by the SHO Mr. Deepak Kumar. At the police station, hefaced degrading and inhuman treatment, including torture. Extreme methods of torture were used by the police including verbal abuse,slapping and beating with sticks. He was forced to remove his clothes, given electric shocks on his head near his ears, severely beaten including on the private parts. Sources informed that Dhananjay was picked up by the SHO Mr. Deepak Kumar from Jhing Nagar Mohalla (a locality in Bihar Sharif town) at around 8:10 AM,while he was going to meet the former ward counselor (parshad) on his bike. According to Dhananjay, he was not made aware of the grounds or reasons for detention and was abducted. He was first taken to Ali Nagar to the residence of Mr. Tinku Gupta, who is allegedly a dealer in illegal arms and ammunitions and has pending criminal charges regarding the same. At Tinku’s residence, Dhananjay was physically assaulted and was repeatedly forced to confess buying arms from Tinku. Dhananjay refused to succumb to any pressure to undertake a false confession. Dhananjay was then taken to the Bihar Police Station and illegally detained till 10:00 PM. He was once again brutally beaten and also subjected to extreme physically tortured, including electric shocks on his head near his ears. He was released only around 10:00 PM after the intervention of local respected persons. Dhananjay’s family members admitted him in the Sadar Hospital in Bihar Sharif immediately after he was released from the police custody on November 5, 2019. On November 6, 2019, the doctors at Sadar Hospital referred him to get treated in a high specialty hospital of the city. He was later taken to the Jeevan Jyoti hospital, Bihar Sharif for the treatment of his internal injuries.The Hon’ble Commission being the nodal agency on violence in police custody and attacks on HRDs is urged to take immediate action in the recent case and penalise the erring police officials who have blatantly violated the D.K. Basu and NHRC guidelines on pre-arrest & post-arrest guidelines. As per legal precedent,torture is not at all permitted whether it occurs during investigation, interrogation or otherwise. Custodial violence is in effect direct invasion of human rights. Torture in custody flouts the basic rights of citizens recognized by the Indian Constitution and is affront to human dignity. Custodial Torture is a calculated assault on human dignity and nothing can be more dehumanising as the conduct of police in practicingtorture of any kind on a person in their custody.

In the last three months, at least three YSR Congress MLAs have been booked for attacks on journallists—including a murder case. It has been alleged that the ruling party legislators have targeted journalists for reporting news critical of them or the state government.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy empowered principal secretaries of all the departments last week to file cases against print, electronic media houses if ‘distorted or malafide intended’ news pertaining to their respective departments are circulated.

On October 15, 45-year-old K Sathyanarayana, who was a reporter with the Telugu newspaper Andhrajyothi was killed by two assailants near his residence in S Annavaram village in Tuni mandal, East Godavari District. According to a police complaint filed by K Gopalakrishna, brother of the deceased, Tuni MLA Dadisetti Raja, who is also the government chief whip, could have supported the murderers.

“Raja (MLA) had threatened (the deceased) in the presence of other reporters after the completion of counting in Assembly polls in May that he would see the end of Satyanarayana... Several people had made threatening calls to my brother saying that Raja was backing them," Satyanarayana's brother, Gopalakrishna, told the Times of India newspaper. It has also been reported that a month ago, Sathyanarayana escaped an attack and had filed a complaint and sought police protection.

On September 23, Naidu Nagarjuna Reddy, a reporter with the Telugu daily Surya, reportedly escaped death, as he was attacked by a gang of 25 people “in the presence of a YSR Congress leader in Prakasam district”. According to the FIR registered by the police, Nagarjuna stated that he was gheraoed by 25 persons along with Amanchi Krishna Mohan, former MLA and YSRCP leader, and was stabbed several times and was beaten up with iron rods. Nagarjuna suffered five fractures and seven stab wounds.

“Although I have highlighted and exposed former MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan for his involvement in land-grabbing, sand mafia, and intimidation many times before, this attack was provoked because I helped a 10-year-old girl write a letter to the CM against Amanchi,” Nagarjuna told The Indian Express.

On August 25, Avula Manohar, a reporter with the Telugu news channel Maha News, was attacked by unidentified persons near Stone Valley School in Rayadurg town.

Manohar alleged that he was attacked by the henchmen of Rayadurg YSR Congress MLA Kapu Ramachandra Reddy. However, police had refused to name the MLA in the FIR.

“I have been doing reports against Reddy exposing his involvement in sand mafia, shady real estate deals and high-handed behaviour. In spite of telling the police, they have not included his name in the FIR. No arrests have been made although police have identified the culprits behind this attack, and they have not called me for identification,” Manohar was quoted as saying.

On August 11, N Dolendra Prasad, the editor of Telugu weekly Zaminryot was attacked by Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, MLA from the Nellore Rural constituency, and his followers, Vishnu, Murali Krishna Yadav, and Suresh. According to the FIR registered in the case, Prasad claimed that the accused trespassed into his house “with a view to kill him with sharp weapons and dragged him from his house and also assaulted him, criminally intimidated him and attempted to murder him with a sharp weapon”.

Furthermore, two news channels, ABN Andhrajyothi and TV5, which are considered to be favorable to the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have been kept under an unoffocial ban since September, allegedly propelled by the instructions of the YSR Congress leaders.

Although the regulator Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had on September 25 directed the multi-system operators (MSOs) to restore the two TV channels, the operators didn’t adhere to the orders citing technical reasons.

Opposition parties including TDP, Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Jana Sena have condemned the state of media under YSR Congress government.

According to sources on 4 October, 2019, around 7.30 am,a delegation of senior activists and globally recognised faces of Indian environmental and peace movementfacilitated by National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) landed at Srinagar airport in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The team included Lucknow’s Ramon Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey, Odisha’s Prafulla Samantara, winner of the Goldman Prize for his struggle against indiscriminate mining in the Niyamgiri Hills, Delhi’s Faisal Khan and Mohammed Javed, and Kerala’s Musthafa Mohamed of the Khudai Khidmatgar group. The team wasrestrained in the VIP lounge of the airport while they were preparing to visit the locked down Kashmir valley. The team was then forcibly sent back to Delhi on two separate commercial flights filled with soldiers between 4 and 4.30pm in the evening. They were detained at the airport on the orders of he Budgam district executive magistrate. According to sources individual notices in the name of Prafulla Samantara, Faisal Khan and Sandeep Pandey wereissued by District Magistrate of Budgam. The notice issued referred to “credible inputs” from various agencies that they intended to organise protests in different parts of Kashmir on the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and the withdrawal of special status ofJammu and Kashmir which could pose a threat to law and ordersituation in Kashmir. The notice also said that their entry into Jammu & Kashmir is being restricted till further orders. In a press conference held at Press Club of Indiain Delhi on 5 October, 2019, the returned activists informed that they had gone on a two-day visit to meet Kashmiri people and extend humanitarian assistance and solidarity to the communities in distress. The police at the spot told hem they would be arrested under prohibitory orders —Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code — which was in force in the Kashmir Valley. Countering the government’s claim that there was no curfew, the activists told the fact is that with Section 144 of CrPC in force people were not free to move about freely and even the Kashmiri officers of J&K government were being subjected to frisking and security checks by Central security forces. Since removing several constitutional provisions in August 2019 Indian authorities have flooded the Kashmir Valley with thousands of additional troops. Mobile internet and phone services were cut and landline phone access remained spotty, disrupting daily life and business in the valley, home to about 7 million people. More than 2,000 people, including mainstream political leaders, have been locked up or under house arrest. Kashmir Valley was placed under curfew, with severe restrictions on freedom of movement and ban on association and assembly of more than four people. There were strict restrictions on the movements of journalists, media reporters and publishers, resulting in a virtual blackout and a complete lockdown. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration proclaims the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom “to seek, receive and impart information and idea through any medium regardless of frontiers”. Further Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights sets forth the right to freedom of opinion, expression and information. The protection of human rights defenders is critical to ensure that they are able to work in a safe, supportive environment and be free from attacks and reprisals. Article 21 of the Constitution of India ensures to all its citizen right to life –a life to live without fear, intimidation, harassment or mental torture. Also, The Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted in 1998 by the UN General Assembly, states that governments are under a duty to “take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders by the competent authorities against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary actions” as a consequence of their efforts to promote human rights. Therefore, the government is bound by its international legal obligations to ensure that all activists and human rights defenders are provided with security against harassment or intimidation so that they may enjoy their constitutional right to due process, life and liberty under Article 21, and the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. In the present case, interception of the human rights defenders and detaining them is an attempt to harass and intimidate the members of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)’s delegation led by prominent social activists and human rights defenders including Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Prafulla Samantara of Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Odisha, Mr. Faisal Khan and Mohammed Javed from Delhi and Kerala’s Musthafa Mohamed of the Khudai Khidmatgar who were prevented from entering the locked down Kashmir valleyamounting to blatant denialof their rights to liberty of movement and freedom of association guaranteed by the Indian constitutionand other international instruments.

According to sources, on 13 October, 2019 Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Mr. Bilal Bhatwas stopped from boarding an international flight to Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia by immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Mr. Bilal Bhat was due to visit Malaysia to represent India at the Children and Youth Assembly, organised by UN-ESCAP. The Indian immigration authorities stamped his passport saying that his visa was “cancelled without prejudice.” Sources informed that Mr. Bilal Bhat was selected as a delegate and was representing India at the Children and Youth Assembly, organised by UN-Habitat, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Urbanice Malaysia and UN Major Group for Children and Youth in association with the 7th Asia-Pacific Urban Forum (APUF-7). When the defender reached the immigration counter at the airport around 8 pm on 13 October, 2019, he was first asked if he was a Kashmiri and then enquired about the purpose of his visit. The immigration officials asked him a few more questions and then asked him to produce further documents to verify his age. The officials then took his driver’s licence, visa and some other documents and asked him to wait outside the office. He spent nearly six hours at the airport, first trying to understand why he was prohibited from flying abroad and then to get his baggage, which was offloaded from his Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur. The defender was not given any reason for not allowing him to travel abroad. Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Mr. Bilal Bhat is not the only case of authorities barring prominent Kashmiris from flying abroad. At least two other high-profile Kashmiris –bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesaland Journalist –author and human rights defender Mr. Gowhar Geelani –have also been prevented from travelling abroad after the August 5 decision of government of India to dilute Article 370 and revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Mr. Shah Faesal was detained at New Delhi's international airport 14 August 2019 and then sent back to Kashmir while journalist Gowhar Geelani was stopped at New Delhi's international airport on 31 August 2019 from travelling to Germany to attend an advanced training programme. Faesal has sharply criticized New Delhi's abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370. It is once again pointed out to the Commission that interception of Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Mr. Bilal Bhatand barring him to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to represent India at the Children and Youth Assembly, organised by UN-ESCAP by immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi amounts to curtailment of Right to Liberty along with Freedom of Movement as guaranteed by the International Human Rights Law, International legal standards and the Indian Constitution.

According tosources, Mr. Jagdish Goliaallegedly died in a mysterious condition on 6 October, 2019 while he was in the custody of police of Pachpadra Police Station inBalotra city ofBarmer district of Rajasthan.According to the police, RTI activist and human rights defender Mr. Jagdish Goliaand two others named as Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh were arrested on 5 October, 2019 under section 151 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) over a land dispute within theirfamily. According to the police they were presented before theExecutive Magistrate at the Tehsil Office for bail on 6 October, 2019. Police claimed that the Magistrate had granted bail to Gopal Singh and Mahendra Singh and Mr. Jagdish Goliacomplained he was not feeling well. Following the Magistrate’s directions, he was taken to the Nahata Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Sources informed that Mr. Jagdish Goliahad a lot of sensitive documents related to the police and the police had detained him in the past. In regard to the circumstances of his death, the local RTI activists and human rights organisations challenge the police version of the events and suspectfoul play. They alleged that RTI activist died in police custody in Barmer’s Balotra city.They informed that RTI activist and human rights defender Mr. Jagdish Golia had a complaint pending in Pachpadra Police Station, in connection with that he first metMr. Subhash Chandra Khoja, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Balotrawhere he was unheard.Hethenwent straight to Pachpadra police station where he was booked under Section 151 CrPC at police station and was arrested. He was beaten and tortured at nightin the police station. According to them the circumstances surrounding Mr. Jagdish Golia’s death strongly suggest that he died due to the brutal torture committed by police officers at the Pachpadra Police Station in Balotra city of Barmer district of Rajasthan.Media reports carried the statement of Barmer SP Sharad Choudhary who said that Golia’s mother Varju Devi had filed a complaint, alleging station house officer (SHO) of the Pachpadra police station, Mr. Saroj Choudhary had not ensured the timely treatment to Golia’s internal and external injuries, which she said led to her son’s death. Devi said in her complaint that she and her son were working on their farm in Sarana village on 5 October, 2019 when some people, belonging to their family, came and beat up Golia. It is alleged that the state police is trying to cover-up his torture anddeathby insisting that he dieddue tointernal and external injuries suffered by him at his farmas it has beendone in most other previous occasions when persons taken into custody had died while in custody. This case is yet again an example of reprisal against human rights defenders despite there being several national and international mechanisms in place towards protection of human rights defenders. Recent one being the December, 2018 pledge by National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) wherein it was recognised that human rights defenders have a positive, important and legitimate role in contributing to the realisation of all human rights and was endeavoured by the Commission to create enabling environment for safeguard of human rights defenders.

Authorities in India’s Tamil Nadu state on Friday arrested at least 15 Tibetans, including the head of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) exile group, as they protested an informal summit between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Police detained TYC president Gonpo Dhundup and 14 Tibetan students in several locations ahead of Xi’s arrival in the city of Chennai, according to TYC and media reports, including the airport and a highway leading to a seaside resort in the town of Mamallapuram, where the two leaders kicked off an informal summit to improve Sino-Indian relations amid trade and border tensions.

Sonam Tsering, General Secretary of the TYC, told RFA’s Tibetan Service that police had arrested 15 of his group’s members as they waited for the Chinese leader’s entourage in Chennai.

“Initially, we tried to wait until Xi arrived at his hotel, but six of us were detained there, while police arrested six of our other Tibetan youth protesters from where they waited at the airport exit,” he said.

“We have three other protesters who were to demonstrate ahead of Xi’s arrival at the airport, but they were arrested moments ago.”

Reuters news agency reported that Dhundup shouted, “We want freedom,” as he was “wrestled away by six policemen” and taken away in a waiting autorickshaw, citing a video shared by TYC.

TYC is based in India’s hill town of Dharamsala—home to Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile—and India has taken special measures to prevent Tibetans from protesting Chinese rule in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India following a failed 1959 national uprising against rule by China, which marched into the formerly independent Himalayan region nine years earlier.

Chinese authorities have maintained a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan-populated prefectures of Chinese provinces ever since, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Earlier on Friday, TYC issued a press statement saying it “strongly condemns” Xi’s visit following China’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of Communist rule on Oct. 1, which it called a recognition of “70 years of oppression and aggression against the people of Tibet.”

The statement urged Modi to take up the issue of Tibet with Xi during their informal summit and called on the Indian government to release TYC cultural secretary Yeshi Chomphel, Students for a Free Tibet-India national director Rinzin Choedon, and prominent Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue, along with Tibetan students who are being held by police prior to Xi’s arrival.

“We also urge the Indian government for the quick release of TYC President Gonpo Dhundup along with 11 students members of RTYC Bangalore who were arrested today just before the president Xi Jinping’s arrival at the summit venue,” the statement said.

Earlier arrests

The arrests on Friday brought to at least 50 the number of Tibetans held in the lead up to Xi’s visit, including a stringer for RFA’s Tibetan Service assigned to cover the event, who has spent two nights in detention.

Kathmandu, which hosts Xi this weekend for a rare visit by a Chinese leader, has prevented 33 Tibetan delegates based in Nepal from returning home after they attended a major meeting of Tibetan exile groups from around the world in Dharamsala, the delegates told RFA on Thursday.

Of the 33, three delegates were able to slip back into Nepal just before the restriction was imposed, five delegates were sent back to India from the Nepalese border, and the rest are still stranded in India, the delegate said. Nepali media have reported that Nepal is preparing to sign an extradition treaty with China during Xi’s visit, raising concerns from human rights groups about the fate of Tibetans in the Himalayan country.

On Friday, Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) issued a statement outlining its concerns over Tibetans’ status in Nepal ahead of Xi’s visit, noting that at least 18 Tibetans were detained by police, although some of them were subsequently released.

Responding to reports that Nepal may sign an extradition deal with China, ICT president Matteo Mecacci said his organization is concerned that such a treaty could “effectively further jeopardize the situation of Tibetan refugees in Nepal, whose status has been precarious for a long time.”

“We call on the Nepalese authorities not to sign an extradition treaty with China and on the international community to be vigilant and protect the rights of Tibetans in Nepal,” he said.

ICT said that Nepal’s ability to counter China’s heavy-handed approach on Tibet has been increasingly compromised, particularly since Nepal joined the “One Belt One Road” initiative in 2017, with promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment in Nepalese infrastructure projects that Beijing has tied to Nepal’s “role in guarding against Tibetan separatists,” according to state media.

The group said that following a crackdown in Tibet in 2008, and an ensuing tightening of border controls, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of Tibetan refugee arrivals in Nepal, while “thousands of Tibetans remain stateless and in political limbo” in the Himalayan nation.

A 2009 survey put the number of Tibetans in India at about 128,000 and 13,500 in Nepal.

India arrested another seven Tibetans on Thursday on the eve of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, while Nepal – the next stop on Xi’s South Asian itinerary – restricted the return from India of 33 Tibetan delegates who had attended a conference in Dharamsala, sources in the region said.

The arrests on Thursday in Tamil Nadu state, where Xi will meet India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brought to 35 the number of Tibetans picked up ahead of the Xi visit, aimed at shoring up the Sino-Indian relationship after trade and border friction.

Six Tibetan activists and a stinger for RFA’s Tibetan service assigned to cover the Xi visit to the small Tamil Nadu town of Mamallapuram were taken into police custody in the state capital Chennai.

“I understand that the government would not want unruly scenes when foreign dignitaries visit. But these arrested Tibetans have not even protested, they just want a silent protest,” Henry Tiphagne, executive director of the rights group People’s Watch, told the Times of India on Thursday.

The Core Group for Tibetan Cause-India released a statement on October 9 calling on Modi to raise the Tibetan issue with Xi and urge China to resume long-frozen dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama as soon as possible.

Kathmandu, which hosts Xi this weekend for a rare visit by a Chinese leader, has prevented 33 Tibetan delegates based in Nepal from returning home after they attended a major meeting of Tibetan exile groups from around the world in Dharamsala, India, the delegates told RFA.

“We all have come to attend the special meeting but we are not allowed to go back to Nepal because Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Nepal on October 12 and therefore until then we are stuck here,” one of the delegates told RFA’s Tibetan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Groups of three or more people are not allowed to hang out together in Nepal at the moment. Even going out to buy vegetable has become difficult,” the delegate added.

Of the 33, three delegates were able to slip back into Nepal just before the restriction was imposed, five delegates were sent back to India from the Nepalese border and rest are still stranded in India, the delegate said.

The Oct 3-5 Special General Meeting held in Dharamsala drew 340 Tibetan community leaders and representatives from 24 countries including India, the United States, Canada, Australia, Nepal and Bhutan.

Nepali media have reported that Nepal is preparing to sign an extradition treaty with China during Xi’s visit, raising concerns from human rights groups about the fate of Tibetans in the Himalayan country.

The online news outfit Khabarhub said that Beijing had been pressing Kathmandu to sign the treaty during the Xi visit and that a draft is ready for Nepali cabinet approval.

The news website quoted an unnamed expert as saying there was worry that China is mainly interested in extraditing Tibetans involved in ‘anti-China’ activities in Nepal.

Sophie Richardson, the China director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said China’s judicial system presents problems that has made many countries reluctant to enter into extradition treaties with Beijing.

“In China’s case, we have well documented all of the problems with the deeply politicized judicial system, in which the courts are not independent from party control, people are regularly denied basic fair trial rights, and where punishments can wildly disproportionate to an alleged crime,” she told RFA.

A 2009 survey put the number of Tibetans in India at about 128,000 and 13,500 in Nepal.

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India following a failed 1959 national uprising against rule by China, which marched into the formerly independent Himalayan region nine years earlier.

Chinese authorities have maintained a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan-populated prefectures of Chinese provinces ever since, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Police in south India’s Tamil Nadu state have detained nine Tibetan activists for organizing a protest, days ahead of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold bilateral talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fellow activist said Tuesday.

On Oct. 6, Tamil Nadu police detained eight Tibetan activists representing the Members of Tibetan Students Association of Madras (TSAM), Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), and Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), TSAM vice president Tenzin Choedon told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

The activists had planned to hold a protest in the small Tamil Nadu town of Mamallapuram, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Chennai in southern India, where Xi and Modi are scheduled to meet on Oct. 11-13 amid recent strains in the Sino-Indian relationship over trade and border disputes.

According to Choedon, TSAM’s president was taken into custody and is being held at the St. Thomas Mount Police Station.

“The rest of the activists were captured later, though they are all detained at the St. Thomas Mount Police Station as of now,” he said.

The arrests came a day after police took into custody prominent Tibetan writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue at Kottakuppam in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district for allegedly having “Free Tibet” publicity materials in his possession, according to the Indian press, which said he was sent to Chennai’s Puzhal Central jail on Oct. 6.

Media reports said police detained 42 Tibetans in all, but let most of them go after they signed agreements to refrain from demonstrating and maintain peace.

Officers took Choeden and 13 other Tibetan students studying in Chennai to a police station for verification and forced them to sign agreements, Choedon said.

“They took our pictures too,” he added.

Gonpo Dhondups, president of the Dharamsala, India-based TYC, told RFA’s Tibetan Service that his organization called on the Human Rights Law Network to appeal for the release of the detained Tibetan activists.

“The lawyers have commenced the appeal, but they are not hopeful about getting them released until Xi Jinping’s return [to China],” he said.

“The FIR filed will proceed accordingly thereafter,” he added, referring to the First Information Report, a complaint lodged with police to set the process of criminal justice in motion and trigger an investigation.

Typical protest

Anti-China protests by Tibetans in India are common, said Manoj Joshi, an expert on national and international politics at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

“Tibetans have been protesting whenever there is an official visit from China,” he said. “This is not something new.”

Tibetans have long opposed what they see as Beijing’s oppressive religious and social policies and rule in Tibetan areas of the western part of China, often going to the extreme of setting themselves on fire in protest.

China, in turn, vehemently rejects the exiled Dalai Lama as the spiritual leader of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as his middle-way approach through dialogue with Beijing to grant Tibet genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China rather than independence.

“India cannot get involved between the Dalai Lama and China,” Joshi said. “However, I think it’s foolish of China to not accept the proposal because His Holiness the Dalai Lama has categorically said that he is not seeking independence but rather a middle-ground approach to settle the problem.”

“China’s version of calling minority communities like those in Xinjang and Tibet ‘autonomous’ has a completely different meaning, and therefore, the problem has always been with China,” he said.

The upcoming meeting will be the second informal summit between Modi and Xi following one in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, in April 2018.

eporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a brutal attack on two TV journalists who were investigating the suspected embezzlement of state funding for schools in a tribal area of Gujarat state, in western India. Those responsible must be arrested quickly, RSF said.

One of the journalists, TV9 reporter Kuldip Parmar, was hospitalized with a broken leg after the attack on 4 October in which both he and his brother, cameraman Ashok Parmar, were badly beaten and temporarily abducted.

The assault took place after the brothers arrived at a school in the village of Kunvarsi. Men armed with sticks attacked Ashok as he waited outside the school while his brother went inside to talk to the principal. When Kuldip came out, he was also given a severe beating.

The two journalists were then bundled into a car and taken to a nearby farm where they were forced to drink alcohol with a woman while being photographed for blackmail purposes. After being threatened, the injured journalists were finally dumped at the side of a road near another village.

Ashok has identified their main assailant as Vadansinh Barad, the brother of Lakshman Barad, the leader of the local branch of India’s ruling BJP party.

“A physical attack of this kind cannot go unpunished,” RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk said. “The beatings that this reporter and his cameraman received while doing investigative reporting in the public interest put all of the region’s journalists in danger. The police must carry out an investigation and severely punish those responsible.”

The two TV9 journalists went to the village to investigate the alleged misuse of state funding for schools in tribal areas. To combat illiteracy and promote secular education among India’s disadvantaged tribes and castes, the state has been building and assisting schools since 1990.

India is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2019 World Press Freedom Index.