Kartik Mukhi, Krishna Mukhi and others

Dalit activists

Jharkhand

Mr. Kartik Mukhi, Mr. Rohit Mukhi and Mr. Krishna Mukhi are Dalit human rights defenders based in the Narwa hills in Jadugoda, East Singhbhum district. All three brothers are members of Bhim Army, an organisation fighting for the rights of lower caste groups and have been working to raise awareness on human rights and caste atrocities in the region for the past 3-4 years. Mr. Dinkar Kachhap is the founder of Birsa Sena and has participated in struggles demanding justice for the victims of caste atrocities in East Singhbhum district

Mr. Kartik Mukhi and Mr. Krishna Mukhi were subjected to brutal custodial torture by police officials on October 5, 2022. Mr. Kartik Mukhi was abducted by police officials was being tortured by police officials at Sakchi police station. When Mr. Krishna Mukhi, along with his family, reached the police station, he was kicked repeatedly on his chest and stomach which caused an injury to a surgery that he had undertaken (colostomy) leading to his intestines spilling out in the open. Even after inflicting such grave injuries, he and his brothers were detained in the police station was six hours. Mr. Krishna Mukhi had to undergo an 8 hour surgery.

The violence acts of the police have no legal standing as torture is illegal. We sent an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission asking it to direct the direct the Director General of Police of Jharkhand to initiate an immediate, independent, thorough, transparent, effective, and impartial investigation into the abduction, torture and implication in false cases of Dalit HRDs and based on the investigation take immediate and strict action, including arrest, against the police officials and charge them under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. We also asked the Hon’ble Commission demand the CCTV footages, duty records, and other necessary information pertaining to the Sakchi police station of October 5 and October 06, 2022 and  direct the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand to pay a compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs to each HRD.