Amnesty demands impartial enquiry into Nandigram atrocities
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New Delhi: The state authorities in West Bengal had not acted in an impartial manner in Nandigram. Women were especially targeted and were subjected to rape, molestation and beatings by ruling party supporters. When these women came forward and named those responsible for the violent attacks, police refrained from taking any action against the perpetrators of crime, claims a newly released report by Amnesty International India (AII) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).
A joint four-member team, comprising Justice (Retd) S.N. Bhargava, Lawyer Vrinda Grover, Senior South Asia Researcher with HRW Meenakshi Ganguly and Director AII Mukul Sharma visited Nandigram and Kolkata between November 28-30, 2007. The team traveled to affected villages, relief camps and met with the victims, as well as government officials and rights activists. Releasing the report at a press conference in New Delhi: Urgent Need to Address Large Scale Human Rights Abuse During Nandigram "Recapture”, AII director, Mukul Sharma said: “Weeks after peace had supposedly been restored. We learned that perpetrators were still roaming free, celebrating their victory by threatening and beating up local residents.”
Located in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Nandigram had witnessed a series of violent protests throughout last year. Supporters of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and farmers belonging to Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPS) clashed with each other. Farmers were opposing the acquisition of 4,000 hectares of their land by the state government for Indonesia-based Salim group for a chemical hub. In violence that took place in Nandigram between January and March last year, there were reports of killing of at least 25 people and around the same number of cases of sexual assault on women. This included the police firing of March 14, in which 14 people had died. Beginning November, another 15 people were reported to have died in violence and left hundreds wounded when armed supporters of CPI-M went on a rampage to “recapture” the area. Vrinda Grover said: “Both under the Indian Constitution and under international human rights law there is an obligation on the state to provide protection to all citizens regardless of any affiliation or opinion.” Dwelling on the aspect of sexual violence, Ms Grover said: “This is a very disturbing and serious concern that from 1984 onwards we have seen women being targeted very specifically whenever mass crimes take place – whether it is communal, or caste based, or a political conflict of the kind that Nandigram had witnessed." She felt that unlike in other places where women were targeted because they belonged to a particular community, the case of Nandigram was different because there they were made targets for actively participating in the resistance movement. Expressing his concern Mukul Sharma said that in an environment where there was so much emphasis on industrialisation and development in West Bengal, it was likely that this kind of violence would increase in future. The two independent human rights bodies have demanded an impartial enquiry into the acts of violence and prosecution of those who were responsible for human rights violations in Nandigram. |
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"Nandigram issue"Time: 20.01.2008 12:15
Comment: Nandigram is not just an isolated incident. There have been many such in the past & recent past where farmers / land users have been thrown out.
In the course of an assignment with an International Management Consulting company, who were appointed in 1993 to work out a strategy for the development of the districts of the state of West Bengal, this particular aspect was highlighted. As an example, we found from records published of abnormal rise of criminal activities in areas of the district close to Kolkata (journey time by train around 1 hour). It was found that due to a spurt in Real Estate activities largely under the patronage of the ruling party, agricultural lands, waterbodies were procured against payments which to an ordinary farmer was quite an amount (say around Rs.2.00 lacs). These led to an abrupt change in their life style and led to a spurt in drinking also - unemployed after selling of his land. As the money dried off and no earning opportunity could be had, it led to small crimes staring with snatchings, domestic thefts etc., leading to the creation of an organized crime cartel patronized by the rulers and the police. We had warned then that industrialization should not mean forgetting the past / traditional practices related to farming, traditional art skills etc. Indutrialization could be viewed as modernization of the agricultural systems & practices, agro-based industries with prime focus on Cottage level jobs, awareness development in terms of the global scenario to ensure the necessary ecological balance was maintained. Regarding the focused development of the Tribals but at the same time enabling them to maintain there long heritage & beautiful traditional practices, we had suggested development of Neem Plantations in the arid / semi arid areas of Purulia, Bankura and Western Midnapore. That would help create a 'Greenhouse sink' to tackle the growing pollution problem. Once the plants (noramlly takes around 3 years to bear fruits) started providing fruits, the seeds, barks, twigs, leaves & the fruits could be crushed by the Tribal womenfolk in their homes by using solar powered small crushers. The oil & cakes could be consolidated by their group(s) for sales. All these however went unheeded because the rulers wanted glamor & wealth speedily, as can be seen from the structure of their party office (which looks nothing less than a corporate office). They were busy developing partnerships with local industrialists and foreign comapnies as well. Now with the trouble brewing in Nandigram and Singur, both of which had witnessed blant violation of Human Rights (data available from local dailes ) and with the world and the national government focussing on Rural Devlopment (Rural Business Hubs), ICT projects, handicrafts promotion etc., it is time the government woke up to the fact that development does not mean indiscriminate allotment of lands for factories on extremely fertile lands of this region, beacause such industries will never provide any jobs to the locals or sons of the soil. How many locals or sons of the soil have been employed on the Haldia Petrochemicals ? |
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