PVCHR: HRDA India - Urgent Appeal for Action: Uttar Pradesh - Attack on human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by policemen in Uttar Pradesh

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

HRDA India - Urgent Appeal for Action: Uttar Pradesh - Attack on human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by policemen in Uttar Pradesh - Regarding

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: HRD Alert India <hrda.india@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 2:48 PM
Subject: HRDA India - Urgent Appeal for Action: Uttar Pradesh - Attack on human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by policemen in Uttar Pradesh - Regarding
To: Lenin Raghuvanshi <pvchr.india@gmail.com>
Cc: Mathew Jacob <mj@pwtn.org>, Henri Tiphagne <henri@pwtn.org>

Dear Mr. Lenin,

Please find attached the Urgent Appeal sent to NHRC by HRDA in your case.

Regards,

HRDA National Secretariat

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: HRD Alert India <hrda.india@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 1:04 PM
Subject: HRD Alert - India - Urgent Appeal for Action: Uttar Pradesh - Attack on human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by policemen in Uttar Pradesh - Regarding
To: "hrd-nhrc@nic.in" <hrd-nhrc@nic.in>

April 30, 2018

To,

Mr. Srinivasa Kammath

National Focal Point - Human Rights Defenders & Deputy Registrar

National Human Rights Commission

Manav Adhikar Bhawan,

Block-C, GPO Complex, INA,

New Delhi – 110 023

Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in

Dear Sir,

Sub: HRD Alert - India - Urgent Appeal for Action: Uttar Pradesh - Attack on human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by policemen in Uttar Pradesh - Regarding

Greetings from Human Rights Defenders Alert - India!

HRD Alert - India is a forum of Human Rights Defenders for Human Rights Defenders. It endeavours to initiate actions on behalf of Human Rights Defenders under threat or with security concerns.

We are writing to express our concerns over manhandling of human rights defender Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi by police personnel in Uttar Pradesh.

Status of Human Rights Defender:

Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi is a human rights activist and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR).

Source of Information on the Incident:

Communication from Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

Perpetrators:

Police personnel at Cantonment Police Station, Varanasi

Details of the Incident

On the April 21, 2018, Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi’s younger brother Mr. Kanad was badly beaten by some people while attending a marriage ceremony in his neighbourhood. This resulted in a severe head injury that had required 18 stiches. He complained to the police but they did not file a FIR. Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi came to know of the incident on April 26, 2018, after his return from London. He went to the Cantonment Police Station and asked for the reasons for not registering a FIR and for updates about the case. He was asked to go to Pahariya police outpost. When he reached the Pahariya police outpost, he was mistreated by three policemen. The policemen became more aggressive, removed their name tags and resorted to violence against him. Realising that he was in danger of being attacked he tried to leave that police outpost on his motorbike. Meanwhile, one of the police officers stopped him and twisted his arm and pushed his motorbike to the floor. When Mr. Lenin asked them to stop this, the police officers reacted to this with abuse, saying that, “you have created lots of troubles for police by filling cases against us” (in relation to human rights violations). The police personnel continued to hurt him which resulted in swelling of his wrist, shoulder and arm.

Meanwhile, more police officers arrived from the Cantonment Police Station and Mr. Lenin requested them to get his medico-legal examination done, but they refused it and asked him to leave.

Appeal:

We, therefore urge you to immediately take necessary steps and:

· Order an immediate, independent, thorough, transparent, effective and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned incident;

· Ensure that all the police personnel who had attacked Mr. Lenin Raghuvanshi are enquired and necessary and strict action to be taken if found guilty, and;

· Ensure provision of reparation, compensation, apology to the defender for the psychological and physical sufferings he has undergone because of the threats and provide a re-assurance of not engaging in such acts against HRDs.

Looking forward to your immediate action in this regard,

Yours sincerely,

Henri Tiphagne

National Working Secretary