annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Uttar Pradesh
for arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, rape
and custodial death and violence against
the Dalits.
Uttar Pradesh also reportedly topped
the list of harassment cases against women
in India in 2003. Out of 5,160 complaints
of atrocities and harassment against
women received by the National
Commission for Women in 2003, as many
as 2,580 cases were reported from the
state. 3 The women were subjected to rape,
domestic violence, honour killings and
dowry deaths.
The Dalit women were extremely
vulnerable. They are tonsured, stripped,
paraded naked and raped. The Dalits also
faced physical violence including killing
at the hands of the upper castes. They are
also deprived of the lands allotted to them.
On 28 July 2004, Mansaram, a Dalit
farmer, committed suicide in Ramnagar
Tehsil in Barabanki district after the Uttar
Pradesh Sahkari Gram Vikas Bank
arbitrarily auctioned off his tractor and
land for a paltry sum without following
procedures. 4
Land grabbing from the Dalits has
been widely reported. Yet, on 26 July
2004, the State cabinet decided to
introduce amendments in the UP
Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms
Act 1950 to lift the ban on sale of land
owned by Dalit farmers. As per the
existing Act, any Dalit owning 3.125 acres
or less land is not allowed to sell the same
to non-dalits. Lifting the ban on sale of
land owned by dalit farmers would pave
the way for malpractices. Atrocities and
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violence by the upper castes to force the
Dalits to sell their lands would also
intensify. 5
Adivasis in Sonebhadra district and
Dalit families in Gorakhpur district have
been facing severe starvation. In Raup
village in Sonebhadra district, there were
reports of death of many tribal children
due to hunger in 2003. Many tribal
families survived by eating roots and
leaves of plants. In September 2004, the
Supreme Court reportedly issued notice to
the state government to take steps to
guarantee the right to food of the affected
persons.
Though 19 policemen were killed in a
landmine blast by suspected Naxalites on
20 November 2004 at Naugrah of
Chandauli district, according to state
Revenue Minister Ambika Chowdhary
only seven incidents of violence by
Naxalites were reported in 2004 as against
27 incidents in 2002. The state
government has been spending Rs 13.2
crore annually on the Central paramilitary
forces deployed in Chanduli, Mirzapur and
Sonebhadra districts. 6
II. Atrocities by security forces
i. Arbitrary deprivation of the right to life
According to the National Human
Rights Commission, during 2003-2004 it
recorded 217 custodial deaths from Uttar
Pradesh - 18 in police custody and 199 in
judicial custody. 7 The NHRC had
registered 159 custodial deaths in 1999-
2000, 131 in 2000-2001, 194 in 2001-2002
and 185 in 2002-2003. 8