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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Chhattisgarh
reportedly been brewing ever since a Dalit
woman was elected as the sarpanch in the
Panchayat elections in 2000. 21
IV. Prisons and prisoners
Although on 12 October 2004,
Chhattisgarh government approved a state
amendment to the Criminal Procedure
Code to enable the courts to record the
statements of jail inmates through video
conferencing facility22 , the prison inmates
failed to get speedy justice. Their
conditions remained deplorable.
According to K.A. Jacob, former
Chairman of the State Human Rights
Commission, the incidence of tuberculosis
was on the rise among prison inmates.
Except in one jail - Raigarh - there is about
100 to 150 per cent overcrowding in all the
jails in the state. 23
An undertrial, Paikoram of village
Sulenga under Mardum police station in
Bastar district died on 20 March 2004 at Dr
BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur.
He was being lodged in Raipur Central jail at
the time of his death. An investigation
headed by the Sub- Divisional Magistrate
B.L. Thakur was ordered to investigate into
the circumstances leading to his death. 24
On 24 November 2004, Rahansai
Kanwar under Ambikapur police station
allegedly died at Kathghar while he was
being taken to Raipur Central jail from
Ambikapur. Rahansai Kanwar was a
murder convict. He was rushed to local
health centre where doctors declared him
death. Police claimed that the accused had
been ill for some days. 25
50
V. Atrocities by the armed
opposition groups
Naxalites are reportedly active in 8 out
of 16 districts in Chhattisgarh. Because of
the increasing attacks in June 2004 the
Chhattisgarh government reportedly
issued a confidential circular directing the
police department to stop releasing to
media reports of Naxal attacks on security
forces in the interests of the police force
and the people. 26 There were about 40
companies of CRPF and the Chhattisgarh
police deployed to tackle the insurgents.27
The state government reportedly
earmarked Rs 10 crore in setting up a
jungle warfare training centre at Kanker to
train its police force to contain the
Naxalites. 28
On 24 June 2004, Chhattisgarh
government announced a surrender and
rehabilitation policy for naxalites and
people affected by the menace. 29 It had
little effect.
In mid-November 2004, the
Naxalites reportedly ordered eight tribal
families of Markabeda village in
Narainpur sub-division-who converted to
Christianity some months back-to leave
the village or be “punished” for
converting. The families were also
warned against lodging a report with the
administration. Most families, fearing the
wrath of the Naxalites, had taken shelter
in a missionary in Narainpur and sought
rehabilitation elsewhere. The Naxalities
also targeted the VHP and RSS activists,
accusing them of converting the tribals to
Hinduism. 30
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