Allahabad HC Orders Police to Produce Adivasi Women Leaders Who Were Detained Without Charges

As the crackdown on the human rights activists and lawyers continues across different parts of the country, the Allahabad High Court, in a separate case, has ordered the superintendent of police, Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh, to produce Adivasi human rights activists on September 7. The activists Sukalo and Kismatiya Gond had been detained illegally on June 8. The order was issued in a habeas corpus petition filed by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and All-India Union for Forest Working People (AIUFWP) on June 29.

The two leaders, who belong to the Gonda tribe, have been fighting for their community’s right over the land, as per the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Earlier in May this year, there was a clampdown on 12 Adivasis including 10 women from the Lilasi Kala village of Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh. Following this, Sukalo and Kismatiya met with the state Forest Minister Dara Singh Chauhan and Forest Secretary Sanjay Singh to lodge a complaint against the police brutality of forest officials. The activists were detained while going back from Lucknow after meeting.

The activists were reportedly picked up from the Chopan station where there were held for more than 24 hours. During this time, they were not allowed to contact anyone including the lawyers to seek legal aid. After that, it was reported that they had gone missing with the police refusing to disclose their location.

Firstly, they never stated the reason for custody or the charges for detaining these women. Sukalo’s and Kismatiya’s names were not even mentioned in the FIR, which is why they remaining untraceable necessitating a habeas corpus petition,” advocate Farman Naqvi, who appeared for CJP and AIUFWP, was quoted as saying.

Highlighting the contrary statements that had been made by the Uttar Pradesh Police, Naqvi said: “They made an oral submission in court on July 9 that both women had been taken into custody under section 151 for causing a breach of peace, but later released. This submission was recorded by the court in the order sheet.”

“However, in the last week of July, they submitted that both women were indeed arrested on June 8, and are presently in custody! We highlighted this anomaly in their statement during our arguments in the court today,” he added.

The order has been surfaced at the time of the arrest and detention of human rights activists across various cities. Activists Vernon Gonsalves in Mumbai, Arun Ferreira from Thane, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj from Faridabad and Varavara Rao in Hyderabad were taken into police custody for suspected Maoist links on August 28.

So far, many have turned up in solidarity with the detained activists and lawyers who speak for the fellow citizens’ rights.