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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Himachal Pradesh
him to the Civil Hospital, Palampur.
Doctors referred him to the Zonal
Hospital, Dharmshala, where he was
declared brought dead. The Baijnath
police reportedly arrested all the four
accused. 7
On 10 September 2004, a Dalit
woman, Sudesh Kumari, was allegedly
assaulted by some upper caste people, who
also dismantled an extension of a temple
the victim had constructed on her own land
at Bali village. The victim alleged that the
Kotla police refused to lodge her
complaint, and instead asked her to go to
Shahpur police station for the same. She
approached the Kangra district Deputy
Commissioner for appropriate action. 8
On 18 September 2004, three Dalit
boys - Vijay, Monu and Vipan - all
students of class fifth in a boys’ primary
school in Nadaun in Hamirpur district
were allegedly made to sit separately from
other students by their teachers when they
were being served mid-day meal in the
school. 9
Dhian Chand, a Dalit youth of the
Anoo area of Hamirpur district, accused
the Hamirpur police of torturing him and
trying to assault him sexually in the
police station on the night of 22
December 2004. Dhian Chand, a former
state-level hockey player, was stopped by
two police personnel near the Sabji
mandi and took him to the police station.
There he was allegedly beaten up and his
clothes were also torn. 10 Dhian Chand
was taken to hospital and examined. 11
The Station House Officer of Hamirpur,
Mr Ramesh Chand Rana dismissed the
complaint as baseless and untrue. He
however, reportedly admitted to have
slapped Dhian Chand on the cheek
once. 12
III. Internally Displaced Persons
The Himachal Pradesh government
failed to take effective measures to
rehabilitate the persons displaced by
development projects.
About 70 families from the Mangal
area of Solan district were reportedly
rendered landless after they surrendered
their land for the National Thermal Power
Corporation in Arki tehsil of Solan district.
These displaced families have been given
initial relief ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs
60,000. But the State government could
not rehabilitate them due to unavailability
of suitable land. In 2002, the state
government had formed a sub-divisional
level committee headed by the Solan
district Deputy Commissioner to speed up
rehabilitation work. While their land
acquisition value is yet to be ascertained
the committee has reportedly been facing
with an uphill task of finding suitable land
for rehabilitating these families. A piece of
land measuring 30 bighas was selected for
their rehabilitation. The land fell in
Hawani Kol, Padiyaar and Barel villages,
but certain irritants arose regarding
construction of seven-km road. Besides,
with the provisions of the Forest
Conservation Act, 1980 prohibiting
diversion of any forest land for a nonforestry
purpose, permission of the Central
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