Free from Fear and Free from Want: A Step Towards Justice for Tinku Musahar

 A significant moment in the struggle against bonded labour and caste-based violence came after the intervention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Tinku Musahar, a young Musahar survivor from Jaunpur.

Following sustained intervention and advocacy by PVCHR, the police in Jaunpur became active in the matter. An FIR was registered against the alleged perpetrators at Madiyahu Police Station under Crime No. 472/12, invoking Sections 323, 504, 506 and 342 IPC and Section 3(1)(X) of the SC/ST Act.

The official communication from the Superintendent of Police, Jaunpur, also records that Tinku Musahar was being asked to appear before the police in connection with the case.

The case had earlier been brought to the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which forwarded it to the State Human Rights Commission. PVCHR's urgent appeal documented allegations of abduction, forced labour, intimidation and violence against Tinku Musahar and his family.

This episode remains a reminder that freedom from fear and freedom from want are inseparable from human dignity and the rule of law.

Read the original PVCHR urgent appeal:

India: Rule of Law or Rule of Lord in Uttar Pradesh

— Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)