Activists Arrested, Beaten by Bhopal Police

Please Note: This action has been discontinued.

Thank you for your support!

Thanks to everyone who wrote in, the charges have been dropped. Please see associated news article about the outcome of this action.

Sathanath Sarangi, Nityanand Jayaraman, Ananthapadmanabhan,Adarsh Vansay, Shailendra Yeshwant, two reporters from an independent European media and 3 local activists were beaten this morning by the local police at Bhopal .They were then taken taken to the Shajahanabad police station and are being detained there as I write this.

They have NOT BEEN INFORMED ABOUT THE CHARGES / GROUNDS OF ARREST and HAVE NOT BEEN SERVED WITH AN ARREST MEMO, which they are bound to do under law. This is gross abuse of power by the police and their action amounts to blatant violation of human rights.

All the activists who are being detained have been fighting for justice for the victims of the diastrous gas leak from the factory of Union Carbide in 1984. The action of the police appears to be an attempt to intimidate them and stifle the movement for justice to tthe survivors and victims of the gas leak disaster.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

Please send faxes or telegrams in protest of the high handed behaviour of the police and illegal detention of the activists to:

1. Mr.Digvijay Singh

Chief Minister of Madhyapradesh

Vallabh Bhavan

Bhopal

Madhya Pradesh

Ph: 0755 550906

Fax: 0755 540501

2. The IG of Police Bhopal

Fax: 0755 540922

3. Bahi Mahaveer

The Governor of Bhopal

Fax: 0755 554 711

Telephone: 0755 540350

4. The National Human Rights Commission

Sardar Patel Bhavan

Samsad Marg

New Delhi- 110 001
Telephone: 011 3340891 and 3347065
Fax: 011 334 0016

5. The State Human Rights Commission

Paryavas Bhavan

Arera Hills

Jail Road

Bhopal 462 001

Fax no:-0755 574028

E-mail :- mphrc@sancharnet.in

You may need to add a 2 before the Bhopal nos if the country wide change in telephone nos is in force already. The country code ( 91) should be prefixed to the nos by those of you outside India.

CIRCULATE the above information as widely as
possible.

Contact numbers and e-mail id for queries:

Devika at devika@xlweb.com
044- 4903415 and 044-491 0914

Please keep us informed about your action.

Devika

• 181 Food and Agriculture