Mr. Rohit Singh Arya
Tribal Rights Activist
Chhattisgarh

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 30 January regarding the harassment and threats given to Mr. Rohit Singh Arya. False cases have been lodged against him by the police in the Bastar area of Chhattisgarh. Mr. Arya is an associate of Ms. Soni Sori, who is a tribal rights activist and human rights defender working in Bastar. He is the Bastar region coordinator of the Aam Aadmi Party.

On 26 January, 2016, when the then chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Mr. Raman Singh, met academician and human rights defender Ms. Bela Bhatia and gave her an assurance regarding her safety after continuous threats given to her and her forceful eviction from her house, Mr.
Arya was forcibly picked up while he was on his way to meet the chief minister. He was taken to the Bodhghat Police Station and was threatened by the police officials who forced him to give in writing that he would not stage any protest in front of the chief minister.

A few days earlier, a press conference condemning the attack on Ms. Bhatia was organized during which Mr. Arya was threatened on phone by local police officers. The local police have filed a false case against him with charges of Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.