UA: 359/12 Index: ASA 20/043/2012 India Date: 17 December 2012
URGENT ACTION
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AT RISK OF TORTURE
Aparna Marandi, a long-time human rights defender who has been
repeatedly targeted by the state government for her activities, was
arrested on 8 December. She is being detained in Jharkhand, India and is
at imminent risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
Aparna Marandi, accompanied by her four year-old son Alok Marandi
and three others, was approached by plain clothes policemen after
boarding a train from Jharkhand to Hyderabad on 8 December. Aparna
Marandi has, for nearly four years, sought to free her activist husband
from detention. She was arrested for her alleged involvement in two
protests, one which occurred six years ago, and another which took place
on 30 November. All were taken into custody at Ranchi women’s police
station where they remained until 10 December. They were not presented
before a magistrate within 24 hours - in violation of Indian law - and
were allegedly subjected to ill-treatment while in custody.
The three other
individuals, one a child of 16, were released on 10 December after being
forced to sign statements stating they had been arrested on 9 December,
instead of 8.
Aparna Marandi and
her son were reportedly brought before a magistrate in Ranchi on 10
December and then remanded to police custody and taken to Dumka jail.
There are concerns that she may be held incommunicado. Her friends and
fellow activists have attempted to contact the police station at Dumka
to determine her whereabouts and condition, but as of 14 December police
have refused to disclose any information. Authorities have also not
responded to a request for details of the charges brought against
Marandi.
Please write immediately in English, Hindi or your own language:
Urging the authorities to grant Aparna Marandi and her son immediate access to a lawyer of her choice;
Urging the authorities to protect Aparna Marandi and her son from torture and other ill-treatment;
Urging the authorities to initiate an independent and impartial
investigation into the police behaviour and allegations of ill-treatment
during Aparna Marandi and her companions’ detention between 8-10
December at Ranchi women’s police station, and hold those responsible
for such ill-treatment accountable;
Urging the authorities to desist the practice of arbitrary arrest and detention of individuals in Jharkhand;
Urging the authorities to investigate the detention of two children -
16-year-old Satish and four-year-old Alok - in violation of both the
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (2000) and the
International Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a
state party and thus obligated to uphold.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 28 JANUARY 2013 TO:
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Chief Minister, Jharkhand
Secretariat,
3, Kanke Road, Ranchi,
Jharkhand – 834008, India
Fax: 91-651-2280717
Salutation: Dear Chief Minister
Director General of Police, Jharkhand
G.S. Rath
Police Headquarters, DPRD Building,
HEC Dhurwa, Ranchi,
Jharkhand – 834004, India
Fax: 91-651-2400738
Email: dgp@jhpolice.gov.in
Salutation: Dear Mr Rath
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Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
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URGENT ACTION
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER AT RISK OF TORTURE
ADditional Information
The arrest of Aparna Marandi is not an isolated event. The
authorities in Jharkhand have used tactics of intimidation to silence
many activists from marginalized groups such as the Adivasis (indigenous
peoples) and the Dalits who advocate for Adivasi and Dalit rights.
Activists in Jharkhand, India are under constant threat of arbitrary
detention, torture and other ill-treatment by law enforcement officials
for protesting and demonstrating against land grabs and discrimination
against Adivasis and Dalits. Many are accused of links to armed
opposition groups including the Maoists.
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