ACTION ALERT – activists of All India Union of Forest Working People arrested

ACTION ALERT – activists of All India Union of Forest Working People arrested

Roma, Sokalo Gond and other women leaders and activists of
All India Union of Forest Working People have been arrested -by the police – from their office in Sonbhadra  this
morning. This has been done to prevent th AIUFWP rally and public
meeting in Robertsgunj today.

The same letter could also be mailed and faxed to the DM and SP, and
people should also call/text them to protest. Let's stuff their phones
and mailboxees with messages.

The contacts are as follows.

Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Fax 0522-2236838
<cmup@nic.in>

DM Sonbhadra Mobile 09454417569 and fax 05444-222090 <dmson@nic.in>

SP Sonbhadra Mobile 009454400304 and fax 05444-252631 <spsbr-up@nic.in>
___________________________________________
Fax: 05444-222090

To
The District Collector, Sonbhadra
Robertsgunj.

30 June 2015

Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression, a national
platform for women's rights and democratic freedoms, protests the
illegal and unjustified action of the district administration of
Sonbhadra in arresting Roma, Sokalo Gond and Avijit, leaders of the
All Indian Union of Forest Working People from the AIUFWP office in
Robertsgunj this morning.

The arrests were made without any warrant or legal notice and the
activists have not been taken to the police station or produced before
a magistrate. Going by the earlier actions of the Sonbhadraa police
and their disgraceful record of violence and brutality against
Adivasis and Dalits, we have reason to fear for the safety of the
arrested activists.

The arrests are clearly a ploy to subvert the AIUFP rally to protest
against violation of the rights of Adivasi and Dalit communtiies
through illegal and forcible land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh. The
rally is an expression of democratic and non-violent protest and is a
fundamental Constitutional right of all citizens of the country.
WSS calls for the immediate release of arrested activists and demands
a fair hearing for their grievances and demands. Democratic protests
cannot be crushed through such means – this is a message that has been
repeatedly conveyed to the district administration by AIUFWP activists
and peoples' movements in the past, and has been upheld by the highest
courts in the country.

We surely do not need to remind the district administration that their
duty as public servants is to maintain peace and protect the
Constitution – not perpetrate violence and crush democratic protests
through the use of violence. Such actions cannot be condoned – you
surely remember that a previous attempt at illegal and unjustified
arrests of peaceful protestors was halted through the direct
intervention of the Chief Minister and led to the transfers of senior
officials.
Please do not repeat such ugly histories – release the arrested
activists immediately and allow the rally to proceed peacefully as
planned.

(signed)
Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression

Copies to
1.      Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Fax 0522-2236838      <cmup@nic.in>
2.      The Inspector-General of Police, Uttar Pradesh
3.      The Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission.
4.      The Chairperson, National SC and ST Commission
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