Citizen groups express deep concern against Strategic lawsuit against public participation against Dr. Sunilam & Dayamani Barla
Press Release
Citizen groups express deep concern against Strategic
lawsuit against public participation against Dr. Sunilam & Dayamani Barla
Oct. 22, 2012, New Delhi: Imprisonment of Dr Sunilam, a socialist politician from Madhya Pradesh has been
received with a sense of deep concern and dismay as part of a trend to silence
voices of public interest by misleading the judiciary to save vested interests.
Dr Sunilam has been part of Indian People's Movement against WTO and
anti-corruption movement in the country.
At a meeting convened by Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) over
20 citizen groups and peoples movements, the facts and circumstances related to
the conviction and life imprisonment of Dr Sunilam were examined and future action
in this regard was planned. The list of participating organizations is attached.
A meeting of eminent citizens and peoples’ movements is
planned on October 28, 2012. In a related development, a solidarity meeting is
planned in Hyderabad on October 26 at the office of National Alliance Alliance of
Peoples’ Movements.
Former legislator and President
of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Dr
Sunilam led Kisan Andolans. On 12 January, 1998 which was a black day
for the farmers’ movement of our country, the State Government under the
leadership of Digvijay Singh brutally crushed the non-violent farmers’ movement
using the state police. Under a big conspiracy, Digvijay Singh misused the State
Police that fired bullets and 24 farmers were martyred. In this incident, 150
farmers were injured due to bullet fire.
The farmers of the
district Betul had given a memorandum to circle office on 12 December, 1997. In
this memorandum they demanded compensation for their damaged crops. But their
effort remained unheeded. Again on 18 December 1997 they submitted another
memorandum with a short notice, otherwise they would start a big movement for
their agricultural losses. Due to inactive conduct of Government officials, the
farmers were bound to form “Kisan Sangharsh Samity”. With the formation of this
outfit, thousand farmers started indefinite protest (Dharna) against the
oppressive Congress regime, in Tehsil Compound.
The state police
continued its oppressive attitude towards farmers but on January 9, 1998 around
75000 farmers marched in Betul protested peacefully. The District Magistrate of
Betul came forward and proposed compensation of only Rs. 400 per acre. This
little amount was too insufficient to hurt the farmers’ sentiments. Again
agitated farmers were on the crossroad and on 11th January, 1998 they siege the
Multai Tehsil and all 450 villages of this tehsil. It was a historical Bandh,
while police administration tried hard to maintain normal traffic. Farmers
opposed the intervention of police authorities. In a response police and
Congress hooligans fired few buses and in conspiracy police charged some farmer
leaders for this arson. On 12th January 1998, farmer’s leader Dr. Sunilam
decided to enter in Tehsil but the state police had already ordered to shoot
farmers Dr. Sunilam reached Tehsil office and requested again and again to stop
such firing but police authority did not heed his request. They were acting on
the order of their Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. The whole drama was to
annihilate Dr. Sunilam. He was arrested, beaten brutally by police and faced
all kind of police torture.
Madhya Pradesh Government
had lodged 66 cases on 250 farmers along with their leader Dr. Sunilam.
Additional Session Court of Multai will give the verdict in three cases on 18th
October, 2012. Today, 14 years have been passed.
Dr. Sunilam is a
socialist brave heart farmer leader and a courageous friend of the toiling
masses. His struggle for the Madhya Pradesh farmers is a significant struggle
after independence. Both, the Congress and the BJP (prominent national parties)
came into power and showed their negligence about this Multai incident.
Despite an adversarial
State government, in 1998, Dr Sunilam won the legislative assembly seat of
Multai, by a margin of 50% votes. He contested this seat as an independent
candidate from farmers’ community. He won the Multai assembly seat in 2003,
with 60% of polled votes as a candidate of Samajwadi Party. He was made the
leader of the Samajwadi Party in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. Formerly he was
the National Secretary of Samajwadi Party.
Taking note of Dr
Sunilam’s background, the appeal for supporting him merits endorsement of all
the concerned citizens who love democracy and cherish citizen’s liberty.
The meeting also discussed the case of Dayamani Barla who is a journalist turned anti-displacement, tribal, woman activist
from Jharkhand as part of a similar trend to harass public interest persons.
She was granted bail by a local court of Ranchi on October 18, 2012. But she
was arrested again when friends and colleagues of Dayamani reached jail to
receive her, they were told that she is been arrested in the Nagadi case and
can’t be let off. She was sent to Jail on October 16, 2012 in fourteen days judicial
custody, after she surrendered before the court in a matter of April 25, 2006.
Six year ago, she was charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including
Section 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), for participating in a protest
demonstration, which blocked the road, demanding job cards for rural laborers
under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. She availed
bail in to the matter at that time from the concerned police station and the
matter was almost closed one. This not the first time when she is intimidated
or harassed but the government is leaving no chance to target her. The recent
intimidation and arrest is due to her leading a restless, successful and mostly
peaceful (except once when police opened fire on villagers) struggle against
the acquisition of fertile land at Nagari, a village situated at few kilometers
from the state capital and where government wants to build IIM, IIT and
National Law School. The government is desperately trying to crush the
movement, by hook or crook.
It is not a matter of Dr
Sunlam and Dayamani Barla alone. Harassment of activists on fake pretexts and
conviction in fabricated cases has become a trend that merits the response of
the sane legal, social and political minds to defang the bite of the strategic
lawsuit against public participation.
For Details: Ramesh Kr.
Sharma, INSAF-Indian Social Action Forum, New Delhi-110016, Ph: 011-26517814, 65663958,
9818111562. Gopal Krishna, Mb: 9818089660.
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