Sunita Pottam, Soni Punem, Rainu Oyam and Raju Punem 

WHRD and HRD

Chhattisgarh 

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on January 27, 2022 regarding the implication of HRDs in a fabricated case by Chhattisgarh Police in reprisal for their protest against security camps being set up in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar area.

On January 7, 2022, an FIR was registered at the Gangaloor Police Station in Bijapur district against MBM leaders. The accused were charged under Sections 147, 148, 149, 341, 431 of the Indian Penal Code; Section 25 of the Arms Act; and Section 3(2)(d) of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. The complainant in the case was Mr. Purushottam Das, who works as a munshi with Mr. Suresh Chandrakar, who is a contractor. In his complaint, he has alleged that on January 6, 2022, he visited the road, where the protest was being held, for an inspection and found that the road was dug up and obstructed with felled trees at 50-60 places. 

Four out of the 14 persons named in the complainant have been leading the peaceful protest in Silger for the past nine months. One of the four HRDs, Ms. Sunita Pottam was illegally detained by police when she was on the way to meet the Chhattisgarh Governor in Raipur, and is admitted in Sukma District Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. 

The HRDs were charged with serious crimes in reprisal for their role in leading protests against the forcible establishment of security camps in Bastar. The right to exercise freedom of assembly is enshrined under Article 19(b) of the Indian Constitution.