UG Srinivasalu

Lawyer

Andhra Pradesh

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 7 April regarding the continuous harassment and repeated false charges filed by the police against lawyer and human rights defender Advocate UG Srinivasalu in Adoni, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. Mr Srinivasalu is a lawyer and secretary of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Advocate Srinivasalu was in the forefront of protests against the industries which were causing health and environmental hazards in the area.  The campaign wanted to make them comply with environmental regulations around Adoni in Kurnool district. Thereby, false criminal charges were filed against him and other activists, including one charge under the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Kurnool police had indiscriminately included 160 persons as ‘rowdy-sheeters’. When this arbitrary act of the police was questioned by Adv. Srinivasalu and other activists, he was falsely charged under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code. He was falsely implicated as a ‘rowdy-sheeter’. This is a clear indication of their intentions: to harass the protesters and silence their campaign.