Imprisoned for speaking out in India – with Dr Binayak Sen

11 June 2012, 5:27 pm

What: Public meeting with famous Indian Doctor, activist and former political prisoner, Dr Binayak Sen, recipient of the Jonathan Mann award (2008) for Global Health and Human Rights.
Who: Dr Binayak Sen, Dr Ilina Sen (social worker and activist), Shabnum Mustapha (Director, Amnesty Scotland)
Where: Meeting Room 6, Crystal McMillan Building, 15 George Square, University of Edinburgh
When: Thursday 14 June, 4.00 – 6.00pm

As part of Dr Binayak Sen’s visit to the UK to receive the Gandhi Foundation International peace award, Dr Sen and his fellow panel members, will be discussing miscarriages of justice in India, his activism and how his attempts to speak out on behalf of the poor led to his conviction on trumped up charges.

Dr Sen is an internationally acclaimed public health professional who has worked for over three decades with poor, indigenous and other marginalised people on issues of basic livelihood, health services and social justice in Chhattisgarh, one of the poorest states in India. As an outspoken defender of the marginalised and dispossessed indigenous people of India, Dr Sen has been a fearless critic of the inequitable policies and unconstitutional police and paramilitary action against the poor and displaced.

As a result of his activism, Dr Sen was accused of supporting the Maoist movement and was arrested under draconian ‘anti-terror’ laws. Dr Sen was imprisoned without bail for two years whilst awaiting trial. A local court in Chhattisgarh went on to convict and sentence Dr Sen to life imprisonment on the charge of ‘Sedition’. Dr Sen was eventually granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in April, last year.

Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience and led a high profile campaign for Dr Sen, which included the support of 44 Nobel Laureates. A motion in support of Binayak Sen was tabled and passed in the Scottish Parliament by Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP.

The event on Thursday will hosted by the Centre for South Asian Studies and Global Public Health Unit (University of Edinburgh) and will be supported by Amnesty International Scotland, Scottish Action for the release of Binayak Sen, and Scotland Against Criminalising Communities.

We encourage as many people as possible to attend the event, as it will be a unique opportunity to see and hear from Dr. Binayak in person and hear first hand his opinions and experiences.

For further details, please email Anuj Kapilashrami at anuj.kapilashrami@gmail.com

Kolkata Park Street rape witness “thrashed” and ‘molested’

Jun 12, 2012 – RAJIB CHOWDHURI|

• Age Correspondent

A former BPO professional, who is said to be a key witness in the Park Street gangrape case, was allegedly molested at a night club in New Market.

On Sunday night, the 24-year-old woman had gone to the resto-bar and lounge with her two female friends. When they hit the dance floor, Harpreet Singh Chadda, 46, of Tiljala requested her to join him. His two friends Manwinder, 34, and Kamal Sabriwal, 31, tried to do the same with her two friends. But the other two women refused them. However, getting close to her amidst the loud music, Harpreet allegedly molested her. Immediately, a fight began and the window panes of the night club broke in the process. One of the women received injuries. The incident took place at around 11.30 pm.

Desperate to save her life, the victim tried to get on to a bus. But the trio stopped the bus and pulled her out of it. The men then beat her up even as the bus passengers remained mute spectators.The men thrashed the girl until she started bleeding following which they got nervous and fled.The three fled and the night club was closed.
Acting on the women’s complaint, the police lodged a case under Sections 354, for molestation, and 307 for attempt to murder, of the IPC.
On Monday, Harpreet, Manwinder and Kamal were arrested by the police. Later in the day, the Bankshall court remanded them to police custody till June 15. According to police sources, the 24-year-old woman had quit her job at a call centre in Sector V in Salt Lake worrying about her safety after she identified the original culprits in the Park Street gangrape case. She was partying with her colleagues on February 5 night at a hotel at Park Street.

 

Kolkata‘s Park Street rape case: 10 big facts

Monideepa Banerjie | Updated: February 20, 2012

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee has been caught in a controversy of her own making in West Bengal over a rape that left Kolkata cold. The city is usually considered safe for women, especially when compared to other metros like Delhi or Mumbai. Remarkably, Ms Banerjee had dismissed first reports of the case as an attempt to defame her government. Here are 10 big facts on the case:

1. The chief minister met this morning with the city’s senior-most police officials, reportedly to discuss their progress in investigations.
2. Three men were arrested on Saturday; two others are missing.
   • 
3. At a rally in Kolkata yesterday, the CPM, which was defeated by Ms Banerjee in elections last year, targeted the chief minister for her insensitive handling of the case.
4. On the night of February 5, the victim was at a pub at Kolkata’s famous Park Street. A man who befriended her at the pub offered her a ride home in his Honda City. When she climbed in, there were two men in the car. But soon, another three entered the vehicle. She was raped at gunpoint.
5. The victim filed her police case a few days later, on February 9. She says she had been traumatised by the event and needed some time to recover before going to the police with her story.
6. The victim, who is 37-years-old, alleges that the police mocked her when she tried to get a case registered. Officers allegedly used the fact that she had been at a pub to judge her character.
7. The media began reporting on the story last week. As the police announced that it was searching for the rapists, the Chief Minister said the case had been fabricated to malign the government, triggering a debate about her perceived insensitivity.
8. The investigation was complicated by the fact that the men involved assumed other people’s names when introducing themselves to the victim. When the police searched Facebook for their photos, the images did not match the men who the victim had met.
9. Footage from security cameras installed near the pub that the woman visited helped the police identify the men who drove away with her.
10. Medical tests on the victim were conducted on February 14. Sources say that the reports do not confirm rape, but doctors attribute this to the delay between her assault and her medical check-up.

Scarred by violence, but winners in life #Chhattisgarh

Scarred by violence, but winners in life: Youth from Maoists-infested areas beat odds to ace AIEEE

Tags: All India Engineering Entrance Examination | AIEEE | Tribal students | Maoist areas | Chhattisgarh

Some students are victims of the Maoist conflict, having lost at least one parent to the violence.

Raipur, June 12, 2012

Two years ago, Sonu Khais from a Naxal-infested village of Bastar in Chhattisgarh could not imagine appearing for an all-India examination. Engineering wasn’t even an option on his mind.

“My father was a sweeper in a school that was damaged by Naxals. My aim was to become a compounder in any clinic,” said Sonu, who is one of the 149 tribal students, mostly from Bastar, who have cleared the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) 2012 in their first attempt.

Like Sonu, there is Ramsu Potai, a tribal student from Narayanpur, who until two years ago didn’t even know what the pre-engineering test (PET) meant. Similarly, Chendre Pulhe from Maoist-hit Dantewada district, to whom the idea of facing any all-India competitive test had never occurred, qualified the engineering test.

Many of these successful students were victims of the Maoist conflict, having lost either one or both their parents during the violence. But life in an environment of terror and the lack of good educational and career opportunities proved to be no handicap.

Two years ago, these students were brought to the state capital by officials of ‘Prayas‘ — a residential school managed by the state’s SC/ST welfare department of the state government since July, 2010.

The students quickly started doing well. They secured more than 90 per cent marks in their 10th board with distinction in physics, mathematics, chemistry and other science subjects.

“We didn’t score well in language papers that affected our overall percentage. Since our world was small and limited to our village, we could not think of appearing in AIEEE,” said Prakash Baghel from Sukma, about 450 km south of Raipur.

“This is the result of the efforts and zeal of the tribal students, who proved their mettle and emerged successful. The results indicate that tribal students only need proper guidance, encouragement and a better environment,” said R P Mandal, principal secretary, SC/ST welfare department.

“It was incredible that all the tribal students succeeded in their first attempt facing such a difficult exam. There is an obvious relationship between personal factors, behavioural patterns and environment condition that play an important role in performance accomplishments,” said Anirudh Sinha, a counsellor and an educationist.

Shankar Markam from Bastar, Ravi Kashyap from Manpur in Rajnandgaon, and Paldev Mukka from Bijapur felt inspired and motivated by the action taken by the state, which spent Rs.1,000 for each student every month on food and Rs.30,000 for providing various other amenities during their stay and coaching in the residential school.

“The sole aim of Prayas is to get tribal students from the Maoist-affected regions and motivate them for the All India level competitive exams,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said, giving all the credit to the students who succeeded.

Encouraged by these results, the department has planned a similar programme for girls from the left-wing extremist areas of Chhattisgarh.

Indiatoday

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CBI wants Shehla case to be tried in Indore

TNN | Jun 12, 2012,

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday opposed the plea of the five accused in RTI activist Shehla Masood murder case to transfer the case to Bhopal under section 177 of CrPC before the special CBI court. Accused Zaheda Parvez, her accomplice Saba Farooqui, history-sheeter Saquib ‘Danger,’ shooters Irfaan Ali and Tabish Khan were produced before the judge Dr Shubhra Singh.CBI counsel Hemant Shukla said, CBI special court of Indorehas power and jurisdiction to hear the case and that the case should not be transferred to Bhopal. To supplement his argument he gave four instances including one that of 2003 Madhya Pradesh High Courtwhere the cases were heard by the special court away from the place of crime. Shukla argued that section 14 (3) of CrPC 1978 has amended section 177 and empowered the special court to hear cases. In this case, as initial hearing was held in Indore and charge-sheet was also filed here, the trial should also be continued in Indore.However, the defense counsel of all the accused together argued that under section 177 of CrPc, hearing of the case should be held in the place of crime. “Crime was committed in Bhopal, investigation took place in Bhopal, all the witnesses are from Bhopal so the case should also be shifted to that city as per the law,” said defense lawyer Sunil Shirivastav adding that the families of accused are staying in Bhopal and they have to face inconvenience. He stressed that there are certain things beyond law which need to be considered on humanitarian grounds.

Another defense lawyer Y Khan said that several cases are registered against some of the accused in Bhopal and their families too stay in the state capital. Thus, for the convenience of the accused, the court hearing should be shifted to state capital, he reasoned. In his reply, the defense lawyers sought time from the court and will present their argument during the next hearing scheduled for Friday, June 15.

Advocate Memon to appeal for re-investigation

Bagish K Jha

In a new twist to Shehla Masood murder case, the father of slain RTI activist, Sultan Masood, have contested the charge-sheet filed by the CBI. He met famous criminal lawyer advocate Majeed Memon in Mumbai recently with a copy of charge-sheet and alleged that the investigating agency had been protecting BJP MLA Dhruvnarayan Singh and wanted the case to be re-investigated by other officials. The MLA’s name came up several times in the course of investigation and had to undergo lie-detector test following allegations against him in the case.

Talking to TOI over phone from Mumbai, advocate Memon said he would appear before the court on behalf of the Masood family and appeal to re-investigate the case. It is not a matter of a family, but is related to the security of common man and the matter of law and order in Madhya Pradesh, he said.

It seems that the CBI has investigated the case with a view to protecting Dhruvnarayan, who was central character in entire episode, but was not even listed as the witness in the charge-sheet.

More than 145 witnesses have been enlisted in the charge-sheet by the CBI. “Beside this, the call details of Shehla were not submitted to the court which could have thrown light on the case,” Memon said.

 

 

Broken Pledges by India to End Killings, Torture at Bangladeshi Border

Border Security Force (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 India–  Abuses  by Border force Increases

 Human Rights Watch

(New York) – Authorities in India should investigate fresh allegations of human rights violations by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh border and prosecute those found responsible.

Despite assurances to the Bangladesh government and public orders to exercise restraint and end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, evidence documented and published by Indian and Bangladeshi nongovernmental organizations suggest that the BSF is once again committing abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of both Indian and Bangladeshi border residents.

“The Border Security Force has reverted to its previous tactics of unilaterally punishing suspects, defying orders from Delhi issued last year to exercise restraint and protect the right to life,” saidMeenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “But the central government is also responsible, since it has failed to hold perpetrators accountable. Justice is the best deterrent against further violations.”

In December 2010, Human Rights Watch released “Trigger Happy, Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border,” which documented nearly 1,000 killings by the BSF over the last decade. In January 2011, the Indian government assured Bangladeshi officials that it would order the BSF to exercise restraint and encourage the use of rubber bullets instead of more lethal ammunition, steps welcomed by Human Rights Watch.

Although BSF attacks decreased significantly over the next year, the new evidence presented suggests that Indian border troops continue to frequently abuse both Bangladeshi citizens and Indian nationals residing in the border area. The recent allegations claim that in order to get around the restrictions on shooting at sight, BSF soldiers have been subjecting suspects to severe beatings and torture, resulting in deaths in custody.

Efforts by local residents and activists to file complaints and secure justice have resulted in threats and intimidation. The National Human Rights Commission has sought responses when allegations are filed, but without adequate witness protection complainants end up risking further abuse.

Large numbers of killings and other abuses have been reported in 2012. Odhikar, a Dhaka-based nongovernmental organization, has documented as many as 13 killings by the BSF since January 2012. Kolkata-based nongovernmental organization Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has documented five other killings during the same time period, based on statements from witnesses and families of victims.

In one recent example, MASUM reported to the National Human Rights Commission of India that on April 22, 2012, soldiers from the BSF’s 91st battalion chased and shot 21-year-old Babu Seikh in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. According to MASUM, Seikh, along with three of his companions, was walking toward the marshland in the evening when they were chased by BSF soldiers who fired at them without warning. After a bullet hit Seikh, MASUM says that one of his companions saw the soldiers drag an injured Sheik to their camp nearby, where he later died in custody without access to medical attention. In another case, MASUM reported that on January 1, 2012, four Indian teenagers, accosted while smuggling cattle, jumped into a rivulet to avoid punishment. The BSF soldiers allegedly beat them when they tried to come out of the water. All four boys, severely injured because of the beatings, eventually drowned.

In another case, Odhikar reported that Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, a cattle trader who bought cows from India to Bangladesh and lived in West Khodaipur village of Dinajpur district, died on February 14, 2012, due to alleged torture by BSF soldiers. Rahman was caught by BSF soldiers when smuggling cows from India. According to Odhikar, he was then severely beaten near the border at Aboiter in Hili Thana, Gangarampur district in India. He was later taken by his companions to the Upazila Health Complex in Bangladesh for medical help, where he died at around 5:30 a.m. on February 14. The post-mortem report says Rahman died due to injuries to his head. At the time of death his right eye was missing; his right jaw, ear, and gums were crushed; and some brain matter had come out through a deep wound in his upper jaw.

Last year, MASUM released a video showing BSF soldiers brutally beating a Bangladeshi national caught smuggling cattle in West Bengal state. Eight soldiers were suspended but no further information is available regarding their prosecution or punishment.

Human Rights Watch knows of no cases in which BSF soldiers have been prosecuted for violations committed along the India-Bangladesh border. This includes a highly publicized case in which a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl trapped in the wire fencing at the border was shot by the BSF in January 2011.

“While the Indian government claims that it holds its forces accountable, it produces no information to show that this is actually happening,” said Ganguly. “There appears to be complete impunity for BSF soldiers – even in the most egregious cases. Unless the government orders an independent investigation and ensures the prosecutions of those against whom credible evidence is found, such acts of brutality will continue.”

The India-Bangladesh border is heavily populated and very poor, with large numbers of people moving back and forth to visit relatives, buy supplies, and look for jobs. Others engage in petty and serious cross-border crime. The border force is mandated to address illegal activities, especially narcotics smuggling, human trafficking for sex work, and transporting fake currency and explosives. However, instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, BSF soldiers have taken it upon themselves to punish suspects.

Human Rights Watch called on the Indian government to do more to ensure compliance with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. Given the failure of the BSF’s internal justice system to prosecute its members for human rights abuses, personnel of all ranks implicated in serious rights abuses should be investigated by civilian authorities and tried in civilian courts. This is particularly important because the BSF is now being deployed in security operations against Maoists in central and eastern India. Considering the widespread tendency to subject local residents at the Bangladesh border to verbal and physical abuse including severe beatings, the government should ensure a transparent system of accountability that will prevent violations in these areas.

The Bangladesh government, after initially failing to address this issue, finally began to call for the protection of its citizens. In March 2011, at a joint border coordination conference, Maj. Gen. Rafiqul Islam, head of the Bangladesh border guards, called on the BSF to respect the right to life and said that individuals “must be treated innocent unless and until he or she is proved to be a criminal or offender.” BSF director-general Raman Srivastava promised “to maintain utmost restraint on the border” and also provide troops “with non-lethal weaponry.”

“It is time for the Indian government to keep its promises to end abuses and hold its forces accountable,” said Ganguly. “At the same time, Bangladeshi government should publicly demand that the Indian government end this scourge of violence along their border.”

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Fact Finding – Pandora box opens of murders,land grabbing Khan and Owaisi nexus # Hyderabad

MR. A K KHAN IPS ENTERTAINED MURDERS FOR POLITICAL ENTRY INTO MIM PARTY AS PER SIGNALS OF OWISI BROTHERS WHILE MISUSING ENORMOUS POLICE POWERS IN THE CADRE OF COMMISSIONER OF POLICE HYDERABAD

FACT FINDING REPORT BY PUCL, AP

(From 09-05-2012 to 06-06-2012)

PUCL received a representation from Zubeda Begum M/o Late Ibrahim Yafai, aged about 60 years. The content of the representation is, her
son Ibrahim Yafai, age 23 years was murdered on 30-04-2011 by MLA AKBARUDDIN OWAISI (MLA Chandrayanguta) and his followers with the
cooperation of Mr. A K Khan,IPS( The than Hyderabad Police Commissioner). They are misguiding the court too and further they are
harassing the family members of the representative (Victim) to not to take any further movement against the murder of her son Ibrahim Yafai
and odd (Others).

The PUCL, AP, AICPL and Minority Mahila Welfare Association  formed a Fact Finding Committee consisting Jaya Vindhyala, Iqbal Khan, Prakash,Riazuddin, Sulthana Begum, Razia Begum, Rasheeda Begum, Romana Begum,Saleem, Aslam, Masaiah, Sujatha, Abraham, Akhtharunnisa Begum,Rajendra Prasad, Dasarath, Saakira Begum and Shoba. The committee
enquired on this matter from 09-05-2012 to 06-06-2012.

Ibrahim Yafai is the son of Brother Mohammed Pehelwan @ Mohammed Bin Omer Yafai. The forefathers of the Yafai family migrated from Yemen to India on an INVITATION BY THE THEN  NIZAM NAWAB of HYDERABAD as WRESTLERS. They have plenty of the lands also.

Mohammed Pehelwan had a group of wrestlers, they are trainers of wrestling and they own a training centre also (In old City).  They
have good relations with the common public. With his support the MIM Party had a huge success in the State and Lok Sabha (Legislature and
Parliamentary) elections. Subsequently when Akbaruddin  Owaisi of MIM Party, the Candidate for the Chandrayangutta Constituency. Mohammed Pehlwan and his associates were supporting him. (Supported him)

Though Mohammed  Pehlwan and his associates were giving funds to the MIM Party and for the development of the Muslim community.  Akbaruddin Owaisi as an MLA, after consolidating his position over the constituency, he started making land settlements by creating disputes.
This was observed by Mohammed Pehelwan and his followers and they questioned about these un-constitutional methods.  One day Mr.
Akbaruddin Owisi started creating disputes in the Pehelwan’s lands. It was an unbearable situation for them.

Mohammed Pehelwan entered into an agreement for 25 acres of land with the SONY GROUP at  Bandlaguda area (Ranga Reddy District.) This was occupied by MLA Akbaruddin and his henchmen. They have put this land under the name of “Shahanaz” as a  binami name and they were
converting(Converted) this land in to plots and (Started)selling the same (Sy No. 84,85,86,15,98,98/1 and 82)(Of (Bandlaguda,(V)
(M), Ranga Reddy District). As a result of this Pehelwan left the party with his followers, but Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi and his henchmen
not digesting this(Did not digest the same) and trying to get back him and his associates into the MIM party by creating problems and started
registering cases against them.
Mr. Mohammed Pehelwan approached court of law and got back his lands by the court. The MIM party leaders and their henchmen were unable to interfere with the properties as the lands were under the supervision of the court. The MIM party leaders and their henchmen were
continuously harassing them with the help of police or Revenue authorities and other government agencies like MCH (GHMC) by one hand
to another hand. If any Police authorities or other government agencies did not cooperate with the MIM Party leaders or their
henchmen illegal acts, they were transferred and they were appointing the officers who supported the MIM Party and who would listen to their
words.

The Sy No. 82 at Bandlaguda area was made as government land and allotted to the weaker section housing colony with the instigation of
Akbaruddin Owaisi. On 14-07-2009 it was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Mr. late Raja shekar Reddy and other ministers present were
Smt. Sabitha Indra Reddy, Aanam Ram Narayana Reddy, M Mukesh Goud,Daanam Nagender, Shilpa Mohan Reddy and V Hanmantha Rao, MP, Dr. K Keshava Rao, MP, Syed Azeez Pasha, MP, Penumallu Madhu, MP, M A Khan,Rasheed Ali, MP, Asaduddin Owisi, MP, MLA Akbaruddin Owisi and Hyderabad District Collector  Naveen Mittal, Dr. P Pandu Ranga Rao(Engineer in chief, GHMC), MT Krishna Babu, IAS, Special Commissioner GHMC, S P Singh, IAS, Commissioner and Special Officer GHMC and others.
Later on Mohammed Pehelwan approached the court of law and he got the declaration order that the Sy No 82 is private patta land as result
Revenue authorities themselves removed the inauguration stone from the land and handed over the land to its owner Mr. Mohammed Pehelwan.
For the inauguration ceremony and other activities on 14-09-2009 there was (spent) huge amount of public fund spent for this. They misguided
the Government Machinery, on this still then the Government did not take any steps on them. Due to this incident the people lost faith on
the Government. This is shame on the part of the government.
This made MLA Akbaruddin Owisi to visualize that this Pehelwan is the only one person who is not coming in to the clutches of the MIM Party
leaders and their henchmen, so he started to continuously harass the Pehelwan and his people with all the possible ways.
We came to know that on 30-04-2011 he called for PAADAYATHRA in the Chandrayangutta Constituency (as per MIM Party), that programme began in the early hours 7a.m itself. At 7a.m Mr Akbaruddin Owisi was present at the MIM Party office in the area and sent his henchmen to
Pehelwan’s house, they informed that “AKBAR SAHEB IS CALLING at area MIM Office”, Pehelwan and their family members didn’t respond to their words and they were quite. Again Mr Akbaruddin Owisi and his henchmen {Mr Balal( MLA), Mansoor Awalgi (Corporater) and others} went to Pehlwan’s  house. Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi was waiting out side of the house of Mr. Pahelwan’s. His henchmen entered in to the house of
Pehelwan’s and started abusing the women folk of  Pehelwan’s “thumaare mardom, aap logonke saath so gaye tho  marad ban jaathe  hai
kya,  Akbar Saheb ke paas bhejo, marad banaake  bhejdethe hai…. Akbar Saaheb BAAHAR KHADA HAI JALDI AAVO BHOL DO… ”, and they left the place. Unable to bare these filthy comments on the women folk, Mr Ibrahim Yafai went to the area office of the MIM Party, taking this as
an opportunity the MIM leaders and others beat him seriously. When Ibrahim Yafai was grounded, his uncle came to the spot and stopped the
vehicle of MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi who was leaving the area office of the MIM Party after beating Mr. Ibrahim Yafai.

There were scuffle between the Pehelwans and Akbaruddin Owaisi and others. During this Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi fired on Ibrahim Yafai with
his weapon (we came to know this weapon is unauthorized weapon, his licensed weapon kept at home as per the commissioner of police,
Hyderabad statement). There was so much bleeding to Ibrahim Yafai,blood started to flow out of his wounds and Akbaruddin Owaisi clothes
were covered in blood. He was wearing a bullet proof jacket as an inner garment. Immediately Ibrahim Yafai, who was shot ran for some
distance and fell down. When Pehelwan’s relatives came to know of this incident, they reached the spot. The gunmen of Mr.Balala (MLA,
Malakpet) Mr. Janimiya  fired against the  Ibrahim Yafai’s  brothers–Awad Bin Younus Yafai and Abdullah Bin Younus Yafai  were
injured. Mr. Issa Bin Younus Yafai brother of Ibrahim Yafai was trying to stop this quarrel between the two groups. When the quarrel came to
an end, the uncle of Ibrahim Yafai himself sent Akbaruddin Owaisi to the hospital, thinking that he was injured. Subsequently they saw
their own man lying on the road who was fired by Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi and two persons were injured by the Gunmen of Mr. Balala, MLA. THESE THREE WERE TAKEN TO Yashoda Hospital, Malakpet, Hyderabad, where
Ibrahim Yafai was declared dead.

Further our enquiries revealed that the Pehelwans  went to Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA who was at the area’s MIM Party office only to
question them regarding filthy abuses to their women folk and not to fight with them, their intention was not to fight with MLA or others
as they went with out any arms. There was the marriage of two girls in the Pehalwan Family so they had no intention of quarrelling with
Akbaruddin Owaisi and others.Further they stated before the committee,  Mr. Balala  MLA of Malakpet Constituency  has  instructed his gunmen Mr. Janimiya to fired  at Mr. Afif Bin Younus Yafai  who was the brother of Ibrahim Yafai,  where as he did not confronted with any body and he tried to stop the quarrel between the two groups.

After this incident the MIM Leaders and their henchmen increased their harassments by creating false cases/complaints up on Pehelwan and
their people. Police also started to act according to the instructions of Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, MP(Hyderabad Constituency) and  MLA
Akbaruddin Owisi and creating an atmosphere of fear among the people of Chandrayangutta as well as within the Pehelwan people. Now the MIM Party seems to be in panic because of the lack of PARTY FUND, LOW VOTE BANK IN THE UP COMING ELECTIONS, they are unable to raise the party fund with out support of this people as well as police authorities.
Land grabbing, land settlements are also slowly going out from their clutches and are facing troubles to organize /conduct the area
meetings. This is all happening because the Pehelwans (and his supporters) left the MIM Party. So to maintain him to their fold the
MIM Party is resorted to make the police to register false cases against the pehelwan people. Except the police harassments there is no
other private harassment in that area.

Our committee revealed further that the local police, and local politicians want disturbances, false prosecutions to be always to keep
the people submissive, monitoring the benefits to the officials and politicians. This has become chronic in this area where the people are
helpless. No other political party is allowed in this area. (Even though most of the old city minorities are supporting Telangana State
to be formed) There is no approachable track to the government for the people of this area; as such there are constant harassments by the
TASK FORCE and others, causing suicide deaths in the old city.

One communist leader came to know the suicide death at old city due to the police harassment. The communist leader went to the deceased
house, but the MIM leaders and cadre beat him, he was injured. The government machinery particularly police department stand by as a
spectator.

When Mr. A.K. Khan was appointed as the city Police commissioner it was hugely publicized as he was appointed by the M.I.M party and so
under his term the crime rate increased in these years. If the party wanted any work to be done it is said that he used to try and give to
them.

There is a fashion in the government that the Junior most D.G.P rankers are appointed as the D.G.P instead of the Sincere and Senior
officers from the last ten years. It is heavily publicized that Mr.A.K. Khan to obtain the support of the M.I.M party for his appointment
as the D.G.P he used to support the party leaders even in their against public welfare activities. It is heavily publicized that
before the appointment of Mr. A.K. Khan I.P.S as the Commissioner unbiased towards his duty and after his appointment as the
commissioner he used his seat powerful instead of the duty and worked for the personal benefit of some political leaders. The people are
saying that due to his unethical behavior it is a black spot for the
Indian Police Service.

Prior to this, there was money lenders exploitation at old city. People of this area got rid of the Money Lenders with the help of
PUCL. Further the PUCL fought against the illegal grabbing of lands (Bhagamathi heritage), grabbing of houses by the then counselor of MIM
Party. But these MIM Party men protected him at that time. But, now the then counselor left from the MIM Party after counseling by the
then police authorities who were in charge of the south zone area. Unfortunately the then counselor facing harassments from MIM leaders
and Cadre and false prosecutions by the police, as the MIM Party lost the party fund and other benefits from them.

At present the atmosphere of the old city area is turning out to be normal, people of this area have engaged themselves to normal work, to
normal living and with this effect the residents of this area are in comfort where as political parties are in an un-satisfaction, why
because no one is coming forward to participate in GOONDA POLITICS or OWDYISM or BAD OUTFITS, which are assets of the so called political parties.

For instance, we can take sample example one Mr. Issa a business man who was once contributing all his earnings as the party fund to the
MIM Party, participation of party activities. He suffered, loss in his  business. As his family  members started to grow up.  This made him to
get distant from the Party and started working for him and his family instead for the party; it resulted in a great loss to the MIM Party.
The party opened a rival shop in front of his shop to put him to great loses, started police torture and passing threatenings. Unable to bear
this, the wife of Mr.  Issa approached the  Station House Officer, Chaderghat Police Station, Hyderabad through the media with a
complaint against the illegal acts of the MIM Party Leaders Mr.Akbaruddin Owaisi and others with the cooperation of the then
Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad.  She explained in detailed what agonies she is facing.  This reflects that the MIM Party attitudes are
visible in organizing vindictive acts, such as opening a very big new  diary farm against the existing prosperous diary farm whose management
doesn’t come under the MIM Leaders  Favors, and, also publishing a rivalry news paper against the existing popular news paper whose
management is independent in nature and do not want to them to be cowdowned.

Political party is dominating and dictating the terms as per their wishes and monopolizing the social order of this area as per their
whims and wishes. The disturbances in this area, mostly communal disturbances made political parties glorified when the peace is
maintained in this area according the wishes of masses became death knell to the political party of this area ( mostly communal issues
created by the  leaders of the concerned political parties with the internal understandings). The political party is not ready to accept
this atmosphere.

Earlier the trend of police performances was correlated with the needs and wishes of the MIM Party. Once the police was an instrument of MIM
Party now the modified trend is MIM Party leaders approaches police and police does it. It is, it might seems to be lesser evil now but
anyways it is evil.  This is the surviving reason which makes the people of this area unhappy.  That is reason when Ibrahim yafai was
murdered, the Hyderabad Commissioner of Police did not positively react, giving an impression among the people that MIM is only the BOSS
OF POLICE.

It is glaring  truth at that instance  when Akbaruddin  Owisi, MLA was admitted in the hospital he was wearing a bullet proof  jacket, his
body  does not receive any bullets except  his upper garments were wet with the blood of Ibrahim Yafai. This was  only publicized as
Akbaruddin Owisi MLA was injured and blood marks on his garments are of his own blood, where  as this is a lie which was publicized which
gained the sympathy  of people by MIM  Party  in Chandrayangutta Constituency as well as the entire old city. He did not have as
grievous injuries as it was publicized he had wounds on his legs and hands.

The Mohammed Pehelwan’s family members told that, we have two marriages in our family with in 20 days, how we will get time to
prepare a plan against Akbaruddin Owaisi. In many occasions Mr.Akbaruddin Owaisi and his father, brother and his associates attended
our occasions, how we will forget it. We all think that, there is no approachable way to the government; if we have any problem then we can
approach the government through the MIM Party itself. How we will loose that even though we have some disputes between us due to illegal
works done by the Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi and others with the support of Mr. A K Khan IPS. His illegal works increased in the last three years,
only because of Mr. A.K. Khan IPS.

We came to know that the party heads would physically eliminated those people who questioned them or those who keep on observation their
illegal activities against community. We further came to know the when a GOONDA, ROWDY, LAND GRABBER, MONEY LENDER, HOUSE GRABBER etc etcobeys the orders of the party heads then they do not come under the list of GOONDAS, ROWDIES, LAND GRABBER, ILLEGAL MONEY LENDER, HOUSE GRABBER etc etc and if they don’t obey the orders of the party headsthen by over night they are treat as GOONDAS, ROWDIES, LAND GRABBER,HOUSE GRABBER, ILLEGAL MONEY LENDER ect ect. Later the party heads
along with the police officials harass them.

FINDINGS

1.     The incident took place on 30-04-2011, no action has beeninitiated  by the police regarding Murder of Ibrahim Yafai and bullet
injuries on Awad Bin Younus Yafai, and Abdullah Bin Younus Yafai.

2.     The Police refused to take the representations/ complaints of the deceased family members against Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA and
others.

3.     The incident itself exposes that the police is instrument of the MIM Party.

4.     The incident of the quarrelling on the road attacks and counter
attacks were telecasted in local Urdu Channel repeatedly and
elaborately emphasizing the situation to make a people to think the
situation in a deeper gravity

5.     It is clear in the video clippings that M.L.A Akbaruddin Owaisi is shooting Ibrahim Yafai. Due to this firing Ibrahim Yafai died.

6.     When Akbrauddin Owaisi shot Ibrahim Yafai, the upper garments of Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi M.L.A was covered with the blood of Ibrahim
Yafai. This was hugely publicized as if Akbaruddin Owaisi was injured and the blood marks on his garments was of his own blood

7.     It is said all over the city that the incident that took place   on 30-04-2011 was done under the supervision of Mr.A.K. Khan I.P.S.

8.     It came to our view that for in the last three years the sake of personal benefits of some Political Leaders the communal riots and
political murders were done under the supervision of Mr. A.K. Khan I.P.S.

9.     Akbaruddin Owaisi was discharged from the hospital within a month and he came out from the hospital, drove his vehicle himself.

10.            Awadh Bin  Yafai and Abdulla Bin  Yafai  who also received bullet injuries along with Akbaruddin Owaisi, they recovered
after four-five months.

11.            The people of Barkas have expressed their doubts on the doctors and the Police officials, FACTS IS LIKE THIS but it was
exposed in a different way, why the government didn’t order enquiry by the High Court Judge or any other judge. Why it did not take any
action on this?

12.   We came to know that, there is an agreement between the M.I.M party and the Government. Due to this the Government is not taking any
action on the illegal activities.

13.       when GHMC authorities went to checking the illegal construction, the M.I.M, M.L.A fired rounds on the GHMC officials,
even though the government couldn’t take any action on the incident.

14.             On 30-04-2011, Akbaruddin Owaisi came to the Barkas area with an illegal motive and he didn’t bring the security with him
but he wore a bullet proof jacket. This was not covered anywhere, in any newspapers or any T.V channels.

15.            On 30-04-2011, when there was a road show (“Padha Yatra”) at the Chandrayangutta Constituency, why didn’t Mr. Akbaruddin
Owaisi, MLA bring his security along with him??

16.            Why did he go the house of Mohammad Pailwan who left the M.I.M party?? Why did he behave rudely with the women folk of
Mohammad Pailwan??

17.            Most of the illegal Money Lenders in the old city area are the supporters of the M.I.M party?

18.            They have been using the Old City area as a weapon to get their work done easily.

19.             From the last three years many people died in Hyderabad (Old City) and the surrounding areas. Why didn’t the
Government take a keen look over these deaths and their reasons?? As the Government is not taking a look at this the people are thinking
that the Government is wantedly avoiding the enquiry.

20.            When the leaders of other parties are coming to consolidate the people when some incidents occur, then the M.I.M party
men is attacking them. Even then the Government is staying calm and not looking over these incidents.

21.            A Gangster/Rowdy Sheeter was arrested and was put at the Chanchal Guda jail, he was released on Bail. The Police officials
were hiding outside the jail to arrest him in another case, but, the then M.L.A, Charminar (now he is MP) came there to pick him up in his
vehicle and went away. The Police waiting there couldn’t do anything but only be a spectator to this.

22.            The same Rowdy Sheeter when he has stopped his
activities to the M.I.M party and became a realtor dealing with the
lands around Bangalore and the surroundings. The M.I.M party didn’t
like this and opened his previous cases (for whom he done) and the
person is in jail now.

23.            The members who are working for the M.I.M party should
be the binami’s for their businesses and if they won’t agree to this
then they are suppressed by the iron foot.

24.            Ibrahim Yafai is not a rowdy sheeter and is not a
gangster, he belongs to an agricultural family. He took wrestling
training. He is a wrestler.

25.            The Government didn’t take any action against the
culprits who fired on Abdullah Yafai and Awadh Yafai till now.

26.             Why did Malakpet M.L.A come to Chandrayangutta on
30-04-2011?? There is many other M.L.As in the M.I.M party and why
they all didn’t come there??

27.            When the incident occurred on 30-04-2011, only Hassan
Bin Omar Yafai, Abdullah Bin Younus Yafai, Awadh Bin Younus Yafai,
Ibrahim Bin Younis Yafai were present. The complainant copy (F.I.R) is
showing names of these four members only. But in the remand case dairy
is showing names of fifteen members. There is no relevancy between FIR
copy and REMAND CASE DIARY.

28.             On 30-04-2011 the state ministry only consolidated
Akbaruddin owaisi and they didn’t care the other group people who were
in a critical condition. When the P.U.C.L team took this matter to the
Governement they said that the M.I.M party is a part of the government
so they consolidated Akbaruddin Owaisi. How it is secured to the GREAT
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA.

29.             The M.I.M party is viewing/considering Hyderabad
specially the old city separately, and they are considering the old
city as an area of their desires.  They are separating the area from
the civil society and using the area for their works.

30.            when the communal riots take place in the Old city,
there wasn’t a single case filed on the Political Leaders who are
strongly established their views. The police are opening rowdy sheets
on the common people instead of leaders. Some parties consider that if
there are no communal riots then there is no recognition for them, so
they start and create communal riots, the police officials know this,
but they register cases on the innocent people.

31.            Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi being a responsible people’s
representative he made provoking speeches, the Police officials were
only spectators on this, due to this, when the communal riots arise
between Hindus and Muslims, police authorities  didn’t open a communal
rowdy sheet on him  instead opened rowdy sheets on innocent people.

32.            There is the influence of Political Leaders behind
every Police Harassment and riots in the Old City.

33.            There is difficult livelihood in Old City. The People
there don’t have any work to do and living in small huts in large
number (around 10-15 members). No Political party is taking care of
them or implementing any welfare activities for the upliftment of the
people.

34.       When Mr. Balala MLA performed marriage of his sister’s
daughter with Mr. Asaduddin Owisi, MP  as a second wife, with their
collusion increased illegal works like grabbing lands, money lending,
creating business competition between two groups, passing threats to
innocent people who questions them.

35.         On this relationship Mr. Balala MLA, went to
Chandrayangutta constituency on 30-04-2011 and insulted Mohammed
Pehelwan’s women folk and their family members. Due to this behavior
of them the incident occurred and innocent Ibrahim Yafai was killed,
the national medalist.

36.From last three years crime rate is increased like communal rites,
gang war between two groups, murders, robberies, political murders
etc. what is the main motive behind this ?? Till today the government
didn’t order a proper enquiry on this.

37.             In old city, if any female girl is ready to go higher
education, immediately the leaders of the MIM Party call their parents
and questioned and force them saying that why are you spending this
much of amounts on female, today nor tomorrow she has to go. So, you
put this amount on business or some other works. The parent
compulsorily obey their words other wise the parents should face
tortures from them in all possible ways

38. Investigation Officer failed to see behind the incident, what
is the    real conspiracy on 30-04-2011. The officer investigation is
showing there must be pressure/ignorance/negligence on them and it
appeared as routine investigation.

39.            In the investigation—prior to 30-04-2011, the Mohemmad
Pehelwan and others prepared a plan on 14-04-2011 to murder Mr.
Akbaruddin Owaisi. If it is really true, Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi is not a
normal man. He is a VIP and one forced group left from the MIM Party
due to illegal activities of Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA, and his
associates. If it so why couldn’t the intelligent department get
information on this??

40.            When we met the Home Minister she said that she would
talk to the D.G.P and will order action on the real criminals who are
involved in the murder of Ibrahim Yafai.

41.            When we met the C.P of Hyderabad and D.C.P of South
zone they said that they knew the incident but they don’t know the
real facts and they promised Ibrahim Yafai’s mother that they would
enquire on this and take the necessary action against the real
culprits.

42.            When we met Chief Secretary on 06-06-2011, he expressed
his inability on the situation of the old city. Further he stated
that, that is political issue. We will suggest if it is administrative
issue.

43.            From many decades MIM have a hold on the old city, but
there has been no development in the Socio, Economic and Political
fields. The old city people are living IN PATHETIC CONDITIONS. No one
is bothered about this. All the leaders want this situation only so
that the business can grow easily on this.

44.            The people’s opinion is that in Rayalseema the
politicians threaten the innocent people by the faction politics to
cast their vote for them and for power and in the old city they use
Goonda Politics to threaten the common people for their vote and power
politics.

45.            All Wakf properties are used for their personal
benefit. This is also damaging the vote bank of MIM Party. So the
leaders of the MIM Party are increasing muscle power on innocent
public to hold the vote bank. This is very bad on the part of the
Political party.

46.            The M.I.M party is losing faith of the public due to
the steps they are taking against the public welfare. So,  they are
maintaining groups of rowdies, looters etc and creating quarrels
between them, so that the rowdies and others are killed in the NAME OF
land settlements and other settlements among them selves or by the
police.

47.  This is only because they being the assets of the party and
when they want to live peaceful life they are eliminating them through
these means.

48.            There is a high level of publicity that Mr. A.K. Khan
I.P.S is behind this entire whole episode.

DEMANDS:

1.      To register Immediately a case against Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi, MLA and others on the murder of Ibrahim Yafai and others in the entire
Old City.

2.     To form Three men Enquiry Commission by the sitting judge of High Court against the situation of the old city.

3.     To prosecute Mr. A K Khan IPS who was responsible in the issue deviation on 30-04-2012 and to enquire on the factors behind the
increase in crime rate in his term.

4.     To seize all properties which are under the binami names of Mr. Akbaruddin Owisi, MLA from since he became an M.L.A.

5.     To order Re-investigation on the incident of 30-04-2012

6. To order for enquiry on carrying of illegal weapons by the Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA.

7.  To order protection to the family of Mohammad Pailwan and others.

SUGGESTION:

The Government at least now should open their eyes and it should take action on the people who are following/doing unconstitutional methods.
The Government and the Government Machinery should work under the area of constitution itself. It should give importance to the people’s
Human Rights. The Government should punish the real criminals under the constitution, then only the people will have faith on the
government. And the people will start respecting you. Then only the people will repeatedly elect you as their rights protector.

for more information

Jaya Vindhyala, President, PUCL, AP
ASLAM, Joint Secretary, PUCL, AP
SAAKIRA BEGUM, Secretary, MMWA,
RAMCHANDRA REDDY, AICPL,
#16-8-908/7, Malakpet X Road,
Hyderabad, AP, INDIA
#09440430263 & 040-24414736

PUCL to appeal against Seema Azad’s conviction

LUCKNOW, June 12, 2012, the Hindu

People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) will explore legal options in the wake of the life term awarded to its Uttar Pradesh unit organising secretary Seema Azad by an Allahabad court.

Ms. Azad, a post graduate in psychology from Allahabad University, and her husband Vishwavijay Kamal were arrested in Allahabad on February 6, 2010 on charges of being members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and involved in unlawful activities. They were convicted and awarded life term on June 8 after about two-and-a-half years in jail.

General secretary of the PUCL Vandana Misra said that an appeal would be made in a higher court. “We have the highest regard for the judiciary and are confident that justice will be delivered,” she said.

Ms. Azad and Vishwavijay were supposedly arrested at the Allahabad railway station on February 6, 2010 when they returned after attending a book fair in New Delhi. This was the version given to reporters by senior police officers in Lucknow two days after the arrests were made. (According to the police, Ms. Azad was among the 11 alleged Maoists arrested from Gorakhpur, Kanpur and Allahabad).

However, the First Information Report related to Seema Azad and her husband’s arrest (a copy of which is with The-Hindu) lodged at the Khuldabad police station states that they were arrested by the Allahabad field unit of the Special Task Force from Khuldabad in Lukerganj area of Allahabad at 9.30 pm on February 6, 2010.

The police claimed to have found the following material from their cloth bags: Detailed programme of Krantikari Jan Committee from 1 to 26 (month not mentioned); a pamphlet carrying the message of CPI (Maoist); a ‘PLGA‘ pamphlet related to the arrest of Kobad Gandhi; agenda of ninth NPB meeting on 30 and 31 January; pamphlet calling for the fifth anniversary of the party; pamphlet pertaining to the arrest of central committee members and five activists of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh; pamphlet related to the oath on PLGA day; and about Rs. 50,000 in cash.

While the PUCL alleged that Seema Azad was framed by the police for raising her voice against the alleged fake encounters and atrocities on mining workers, the police claimed that they were planning to expand base in North Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The couple were sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs. 20,000 for waging a war against the State and criminal conspiracy. They were charged under Sections 121, 121A and 120B of IPC. They were also charged under the relevant provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for possessing objectionable literature.

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• Seema Azad, journalist, human rights worker and her husband sentenced to life for waging war against India (kractivist.wordpress.com)
• Letter to the NHRC- Seema Azad Case (kractivist.wordpress.com)
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NRHM financial wrongdoings reflect systemic irregularities

Prioritizing healthcare for India’s rural poor (Photo credit: Gates Foundation)

It turns out that some state officials were using NRHM to enrich themselves
Vidya Krishnan

New Delhi: The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched seven years ago with the goal of improving healthcare delivery to people in villages, especially the poor, through a generous infusion of federal funds. Local authorities were given a relatively free hand in deciding how to spend the money, with the Centre promising funds with no strings attached for the first seven years.

It turns out that some state officials were using NRHM to enrich themselves instead, raising questions about oversight, governance and accountability at the government’s marquee public health programme, which has won a five-year extension because many of its goals, such as significantly reducing child mortality and improving maternal health, haven’t been met.

Last month, several senior officials of Madhya Pradesh’s health department came under investigation for allegedly siphoning off Rs800 crore from the programme’s budget.
That follows a corruption scandal surrounding NRHM in Uttar Pradesh after allegations that Rs5,700 crore was embezzled from the scheme by health department officials during the regime of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, which was ousted from power in the February-March assembly elections.

Six officials directly associated with the scheme in India’s most populous state died in controversial circumstances, one of them in police custody.

In Madhya Pradesh, health director Amarnath Mittal, who was overseeing NRHM’s implementation in the state, was suspended after income-tax (I-T) raids led to the recovery of evidence that he possessed unaccounted property worth Rs100 crore, according to Siddharth Chaudhary, superintendent of police, Lokayukta, an independent anti-corruption body that holds oversight of the state government.

Some Rs38 lakh in cash, 2.5kg of gold, jewellery worth Rs.72 lakh, foreign currency (€3,000 and 1,080 Australian dollars) and documents claiming titles for 50 acres of land were seized in the raids, Chaudhary said.

Public health experts say the case illustrates the larger malaise of corruption in India rather than fault lines in the programme that allowed flexible spending at the grassroots level.

“There is a need to delink the scheme from the system. The problem is not with NRHM’s design, but with governance,” said Amit Sengupta, co-convenor of the People’s Health Movement. “NRHM has been implemented efficiently in many states. Corruption at this level and of this kind—where bureaucrats are amassing Rs100 crore—does not happen without the connivance of elected representatives.”

“Besides, there are vested interests that want NRHM-like schemes to fail so that the argument in favour of outsourcing services to the private sector is strengthened,” Sengupta added. “There is a lot of evidence that there is connivance between government officials and private sector.”

The alleged financial wrongdoing in NRHM reflects the systemic irregularities that plague centrally funded schemes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, said Sidharth Sonawat, assistant director and healthcare analyst at industry lobby group Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“This is a result of giving large amounts of funds, poor administering at state-level organizations and even worse monitoring from the Centre,” Sonawat said. “In the case of NRHM, district-level officials to elected representatives seem to be aware of the irregularities; otherwise such blatant, systemic corruption cannot exist in isolation.”

According to officials in the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta, recent raids have established a payoff between the state’s health department and the procurement cell, Laghu Udyog Nigam. These officials didn’t want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

An audit by the Accountant General of Madhya Pradesh, the apex body for compiling and preparing state-level accounts of public spending, has revealed that the health department incurred expenditures worth Rs67 crore without having budgetary provisions or approvals from the Union government.

In a letter dated 7 May, the audit officer sought a response from Ravindra Pastore, NRHM mission director for Madhya Pradesh.

The investigative arm of the Lokayukta is currently probing 13 cases of misuse of office against health commissioner Manohar Agnani and nine cases against Mittal, but is yet to link them to NRHM.

“As of now, Mittal’s raid is being treated as a case of disproportionate assets and we have not yet linked it to NRHM even though he was heading the department that rolled out the health scheme,” said Chaudhary.

“Besides disproportionate assets case, we received complaints alleging irregularities under various NRHM schemes in March and we have started our investigations,” he added.

While Mittal declined to comment, Agnani maintained that the cases of irregularities have been exaggerated and that he was “unaware that contracts had been given to blacklisted firms, substandard material procured at inflated rates, and unqualified officials had been employed”.

“My director (Mittal) would be best placed to answer these queries,” he said.

The department’s previous commissioner, Rajesh Rajora, is currently under suspension for irregularities to the tune of Rs11 crore, according to official data. Previous mission director Ashok Sharma was suspended in 2008 after Rs130 crore was allegedly recovered from his residence by I-T officials in a raid. Sharma was reinstated in 2010 and is currently director, health services.

“They (I-T officials) recovered only Rs27,000 from the raid at my residence. Subsequently, judicial inquiries were conducted in nine cases in which no irregularity was found,” Sharma said. “All those cases have been closed.”

Madhya Pradesh health minister Ajay Vishnoi resigned in 2008 on moral grounds after I-T officials raided 56 places in the state and unearthed evidence of a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and suppliers.

This time, cases being investigated by the state’s Lokayukta include procurement of an insecticide under the anti-malaria programme, causing the exchequer a loss of approximately Rs70 crore; imposing monopolies in the purchase of ingredient used for analysis of blood samples that caused a loss of Rs20 crore; appointments in the health department that did not follow prescribed procedures; and favouring of two companies—Nitapol Industries and Kilpest India Ltd—that were blacklisted by the Gujarat government for supplying substandard insecticides.

Both the companies declined to comment on the matter.

NRHM was launched with a budget of Rs6,730 crore; the outlay swelled to Rs20,822 crore in the latest budget. It aimed at improving health indicators in rural areas, with a special focus on 18 states that lagged behind the rest on key health parameters.

It aimed at reducing the infant mortality rate (IMR) to 30 per thousand live births and the maternal mortality rate (MMR) to 100 per 100,000 live births and the total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.1 nationally, in line with the millennium development goals.

At the time of launch, Madhya Pradesh’s TFR was 3.6 while, MMR and IMR stood at 335 and 76, respectively. Seven years and Rs3,381.93 crore of spending later, the health indicators remain below target at 3.3, 269 and 67, respectively.

Still, the improvement is commendable given the backdrop of leakages, some public health experts say.

“If these figures are to be trusted, the drop in maternal mortality rate is impressive,” said Sakthivel Selvaraj, health economist at the Public Health Foundation of India. “The nine-point drop in infant mortality is also not bad. Overall, it is evident that NRHM has made a dent in these figures despite leakages in the system.”

Last month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said it found large-scale financial irregularities in the NRHM scheme during Mayawati’s reign over Uttar Pradesh.

According to CAG’s audit report, funds worth Rs1,768.12 crore were received from the Centre but never shown in state government accounts. The report revealed that the government had not maintained accounts for advances worth Rs4,938.74 crore.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating at least two ministers in Mayawati’s government and several bureaucrats in connection with financial irregularities.

Union health secretary P.K. Pradhan said NRHM could not be faulted because of Uttar Pradesh; anyway, only a portion of the scheme allowed flexible use of funds, he said.

“Because of UP (Uttar Pradesh), everyone is faulting NRHM without seeing how well it is implemented in southern states,” Pradhan said. “The government will never be able to implement any scheme if we start faulting in on this basis. Procurement and construction, etc., are the state government’s prerogative and states with better governance have done well under NRHM. Since funds were easily available in large amounts, a portion was flexible; states which lacked transparency took advantage of this.”

“It is vacuous to blame the system when the issue is individual intention and integrity of state-level bureaucracy and politicians,” Pradhan added.

vidya.krishnan@livemint.com

Related articles

• For Immediate Release- Division Bench at Patna Underscores Importance of Maternal Mortality (kractivist.wordpress.com)
• Most pregnancy-related deaths occur in transit’ (kractivist.wordpress.com)
• NRHM scam: CBI raids premises of former UP Minister (thehindu.com)
• 5000 crore scam alleged in Bhopal redensificaion project (thehindu.com)

Civil Society Declaration: Rights must be at the centre of the Family Planning Summit

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Sexual Fantasies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CALL FOR ENDORSEMENT

 

Amnesty International, Center for Reproductive Rights,  Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN),  International Women’s Health Coalition and RESURJ have prepared a statement *Rights must be at the centre of the Family Planning Summit *in advance of the DFID/Gates Family Planning Summit which will be held in London on 11 July 2012.

 

We would like to invite you or your organization to endorse this statement (at bottom of this email), which will be presented to the organisers prior to the Summit.

 

To endorse this statement, please send the following information to CRR’s Kate Meyer (kmeyer@reprorights.org).

 

Name of organization or individual (please specify which):

Country:

Name and email of contact person:

 

Please also circulate this statement to your contacts and networks. The deadline for endorsements is Monday, 11 June 2012.

 

* We will circulate the statement again after endorsements have been received.

 

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Rights must be at the centre of the Family Planning Summit: Civil Society Declaration

 

We, civil society organizations working to promote women’s and young people’s human rights, call on world leaders on the eve of the “Family Planning Summit”, hosted by the UK Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights are at the centre of all efforts to meet reproductive health needs, including family planning.

 

Contraceptive information and services – “family planning” – form an essential part of the health services that women need throughout their lives. Any steps to increase demand for contraceptives must actively support efforts to improve comprehensive and integrated sexual and reproductive health. Contraceptives must be provided through primary healthcare, with full regard for women’s human rights and the specific needs of young and unmarried women and other groups.

 

Our experience, built over decades of work around the world, has taught us that the failure to take actions guided by women’s human rights – to health, to life, to live free from discrimination among others – can have devastating consequences. Policies that accept or tacitly condone forced sterilization, the coercive provision of contraceptives, and the denial of essential services to the young, poor and marginalized women that need them every day have violated, and continue to violate, women’s human rights.

 

Nearly twenty years ago, governments at the International Conference on Population and Development agreed that respect for women’s reproductive autonomy is the cornerstone of population policy. Any return to coercive family planning programs where quality of care and informed consent are ignored would be both shocking and retrograde. The Family Planning Summit must ensure that the clocks are not put back on women’s rights: women’s autonomy and agency to decide freely on matters related to sexual and reproductive health without any discrimination, coercion or violence must be protected under all circumstances.

 

In order to expand contraceptive access with full respect for women’s human rights, we urge governments, donors and other actors supporting the Family Planning Summit to:

 

·           Take all possible measures to ensure that this initiative is designed with quality of care and human rights at its core, so that no coercive measures are introduced in the provision of contraceptives;

 

·           Ensure that meaningful participation by women, including young women, is built into all stages of program design and implementation to ensure that services are responsive to their needs and to prevent any human rights violations;

 

·           Ensure that the provision of contraceptives is integrated into existing and new sexual and reproductive health services, and that a full range of contraceptive methods is offered;

 

·           Design and implement a system for monitoring, evaluation and accountability to track and measure its impact on the rights of women as this initiative is rolled out, and urgently make necessary corrections should violations come to light;

 

·           Commit to tackling the existing legal and policy barriers that hinder access to contraceptive information and services, without which efforts are likely to be ineffective and exacerbate disparities in access.

 

In 2012, nothing less will do.

 

Endorsed by:

Center for Reproductive Rights

Amnesty International

Development Alternatives With Women for a New Era, DAWN

International Women’s Health Coalition

RESURJ

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