Gladson Dungdung

Tribal Human Rights Defender

Jharkhand

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on June 15 regarding registering of false FIRs against human rights defender Mr. Gladson Dungdung in Argora and Lalpur police stations of Ranchi district, Jharkhand. Mr. Dungdung is an adivasi, environmental rights activist and an author based in Ranchi. He is the general secretary of the Jharkhand Human Rights Movement, a public forum.

On June 9, 2017 the officers-in-charge of Argora and Lalpur police stations registered two complaints against Mr. Dungdung. The first FIR was filed in Argoda police station with Case No 170/17 under Sections 147, 148, 149, 427, 353, and 504 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of Prohibition of Damage to Public Property Act, naming eight persons and one thousand others of the 'Birsa Munda Ulgulan Manch' alleging that they vandalised the ‘Modi fest’, gave provocative speeches and damaged the posters in the BJP office in Ranchi.  

According to the second FIR filed in Lalpur Police Station with case No 170/17 under Sections 143/144/149/150/153/153A/153AA/153B/427/279/353/120B of IPC, eleven persons and four thousand others of the 'Birsa Munda Ulgulan Manch' have been named alleging that they did a mass meeting without permission, gave defamatory speeches against other people living in the state, instigated the crowd on issues related to the amendment of Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act  (CNT/SPT) and domicile policy, and that they did not allow public servants to work, while destroying public property and creating problems for public transportation.    

It is to be noted that human rights defender Mr. Dungdung’s name is mentioned in both the FIRs. Mr. Dungdung was released from the Intensive Care Unit of St. Barnabas Hospital, Ranchi after his treatment for hemoglobin deficiency (anemia) on June 9, 2017. He neither participated in the rally nor was present in the jurisdiction of the Argoda Police Station during which the alleged crime had happened, as mentioned in the FIR.

Secondly, he had joined the mass meeting at Morahabadi Maidan, Ranchi, as a guest speaker, when a request was made by the organisers. Therefore, naming him in the first FIR on false allegations does not sustain according to law.