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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Bihar
Police also lathi charged to disperse the
crowd causing injury to nearly half-adozen
people. 25
iii. Impunity
There is virtual impunity for the law
enforcement officials. Strangely,
punishment recommended for a custodial
death was “retirement”.
On 23 September 2004, the NHRC
issued notice to the Chief Secretary and
Director General of Police, Bihar to show
cause within four weeks why it may not
recommend grant of interim relief to the
next of kin of Ram Udit Narayan Singh,
who died in police custody in Begusarai
district in 1999. The inquest and postmortem
findings submitted by the Home
Secretary belied the police assertion that
the deceased had committed suicide.
“The presence of 11 external injuries and
a post-mortem ligature mark undoubtedly
show the barbaric attitude of the police
and an attempt to fabricate false clue and
create false evidence so as to screen the
offense” - asserted NHRC. The
punishment given to the SHO was
“retirement”. 26
On 29 January 2004, additional
district and sessions judge of a fast track
court in Purnia, Tarakant Shah sentenced
the then officer-in-charge, Brahmdeo
Singh, and two constables, Shaligram
Singh and Vijaykant Jha of the
Harwadanga police station in Kishanganj
district to life imprisonment for custodial
death of an accused, Ishaque Alam in
1987. 27
III. Atrocities by the armed
opposition groups
The armed opposition groups are a
reflection of the caste war prevailing in the
feudal lands of Bihar, primarily in
Jehanabad, Arwal, Bhojpur, Gaya,
Aurangabad and Patna districts. The key
armed opposition groups in the state are the
Ranvir Sena and the Maoists Communist
Centre and the Peoples War. While Ranvir
Sena represents the upper caste Hindus, the
MCC and the PW claim to represent the
poor and the Dalits. In the past 15 years, an
estimated 1,000 people have been killed by
Ranvir Sena in 300 incidents. The Naxalites
have, on their part, perpetrated equally
chilling massacres. 28 However, unlike the
Naxalites, the Ranvir Senas are not banned
under the law.
i. Violence by Ranvir Sena
On 3 January 2004, the Ranvir Senas
reportedly shot dead five Dalits and
injured two others, all believed to be
Maoist supporters, at Pariyari village
under Kinjar police station in Arwal
district. The victims, belonging to Paswan
and Gadaria communities, were enjoying
the warmth of a bonfire in the morning.
The two injured were admitted to the Patna
Medical College Hospital. 29
On 13 January 2004, five members of
a Yadav family, including two women and
a 10-year-old girl, were shot dead and four
others were critically injured when
unidentified assailants opened fire at
Koregawan village of Bhore in Gopalganj
district. 30
37