Pawan Rao Ambedkar
Human Rights Defender
Uttar Pradesh

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on January 10 regarding the illegal arrest and detention of Mr. Pawan Rao Ambedkar by police in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Ambedkar is a well-known Ambedkarite leader and activist in Uttar Pradesh.

On December 19, 2019, Mr. Ambedkar was arrested during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow. Police said the protest was illegal as Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure was in force. A case was registered against Mr. Ambedkar in the Hazratganj police station (FIR no. 600/2019) under Sections 147, 148, 149, 152, 307, 323, 504, 506, 332, 353, 188, 435, 436, 120B, 427 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 7 of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act (CLA). He was charged with rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, wrongful constraint, criminal intimidation, and criminal assault on a public servant, among others.

Mr. Ambedkar’s bail application was rejected on December 23, 2019 by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow before he was granted bail on January 4, 2020. He had to wait for an additional two days for formalities to be completed before he was released from jail.