Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - India
| Publisher | International Federation for Human Rights |
| Publication Date | 26 March 2003 |
| Cite as | International Federation for Human Rights, Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - India, 26 March 2003, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/48747c5dc.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Murder of a defender of the rights of the Adivasi indigenous population22
On 19th July 2002, Ms. Navleen Kumar, who was defending the Adivasis23 right to own land, was stabbed 19 times at her home in Nallasopora. Using legal means Ms. Kumar had been fighting property developers, politicians and civil servants involved in the appropriation of tribal land through fraud, threats and the use of force in the district of Thane, for 25 years. She had been quite successful and had some cases reopened. The day before she was murdered, a member of the Bhai Thakur gang was charged with killing a property developer; the case was based on Ms. Kumar's testimony. She had already been harassed by the "local mafia". In March, she was threatened at gunpoint at the Nallasopara railway station. She pointed out that her assailants were from the Bhai Thakur gang when filing her complaint.
On 30th June, four men, Mr. Gajanan Patil, Mr. Ulhas Rane, Mr. Sanjay Kadu and Mr. Haji Kuppuswami Naidu, were arrested by the police. Three of them had been denounced by Ms. Kumar during official proceedings. They were released on bail since no evidence was brought forward by the Department of Criminal Investigation.
Following an NGO meeting in Mumbai on 27th June 2002, a committee was set up to ensure the follow-up of Ms. Kumar's case. Marches have been organised to protest against Ms. Kumar's murder and a memorandum was submitted to the Inspector General of the police of Thane and to the Minister of Maharashtra. Fears were raised of possible impunity for the perpetrators of the crime.
Since Ms. Kumar's death, other militants have been targeted and intimidated for mentioning the case and defending the rights of the local population. That has been the case for Mr. Vivek Pandit, member of Shramjeevi Sanghathana, an organisation that fights for the right to own land. Complaints have been filed with the police and the Minister of Maharashtra.
[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]
22. See letter to the Indian authorities, 26 July 2002.
23. The 70 million Adivasis of India account for about 8% of the general population. Though special measures have been adopted, they cannot exercise fully their traditional rights, due to competition for land and resources. Illegal occupation of the traditional lands of the Adivasis is all the easier since the Adivasis have no title of property and land is often owned collectively.
