Mr. Rajeev Yadav, General Secretary of Rihai Manch, and Mr. Vinod Yadav, a social activist and lawyer from Azamgarh, faced abduction and assault while returning from Varanasi after a peaceful Khiriya Bagh foot march.  Prior to foot-march a peaceful 75 days agitation was held against forcible occupation of agricultural land for the construction of international airport by the government.  The incident involves perpetrators such as Mr. Anurag Arya, Superintendent of Police, Azamgarh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Azamgarh, Mr. Vinay Dubey, STF Azamgarh, and other STF Crime Branch personnel. The abduction appears to be a reprisal against the ongoing Khiriya Bagh peaceful protest movement, where farmers and villagers resist the forcible acquisition of their land for an international airport.

Human Rights Defenders Alert (HRD Alert) brings forth a distressing incident in Uttar Pradesh, concerning the abduction, intimidation, threats, and brutal assault of Mr. Rajeev Yadav and Mr. Vinod Yadav by the Azamgarh Special Task Force (STF) on December 25, 2022. The STF police personal’s   act was clear cut violation of Supreme Court guide lines laid down in  D.K. Basu judgement. The constitution of India guarantees Right to freedom of peaceful assembly under article 19. 

HRD Alert urges the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to treat this case urgently. The appeal includes directing the Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh to submit relevant CCTV footage, duty records, call records, and other information within the next 24 hours. Additionally, an independent inquiry by the NHRC into the kidnapping of Mr. Rajeev Yadav is sought, with subsequent strict action against responsible policemen. Ensuring the physical and psychological security of Mr. Rajeev Yadav, along with an end to harassment against human rights defenders in Uttar Pradesh, is imperative.