India: The Chandigarh-based "Human Rights Protection Council," including whether Daljit Singh Rajput is its chairman, when it was founded and by whom, its mandate and activities, and whether it has branch offices
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND31266.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: The Chandigarh-based "Human Rights Protection Council," including whether Daljit Singh Rajput is its chairman, when it was founded and by whom, its mandate and activities, and whether it has branch offices, 1 March 1999, IND31266.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac21a0.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. |
According to a 1 July 1997 Rediff on the Net article, there were at that time 24 human rights organizations active in Punjab.
No reports of a Human Rights Protection Council (HRPC) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, brief references to a World Human Rights Protection Council follow: The Punjab NGO "Coordination Committee on Disappearances in Punjab" (CCDP) comprises members of the World Human Rights Protection Council (WHRPC) and other Punjab human rights organizations, political groups and concerned individuals (CCDP 14 Nov. 1997; Kumar 18 July 1998, 29; IND30759.EX of 12 Jan. 1999). In 1997 the WHRPC filed a petition with the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking directions for the return of 200 children of Indian origin to India from Pakistan (The Hindustan Times 3 Apr. 1997).
No reports could be found linking Daljit Singh Rajput (D.S. Rajput) with the WHRPC or the HRPC.
The Chandigarh English-language daily newspaper The Tribune has referred to Rajput as "a local lawyer" (24 Feb. 1999) and "a local advocate" (ibid. 25 Dec. 1998), while Amnesty International referred to him as a "human rights defender" (AI 24 July 1998, 1) and a "rights campaigner" (India Abroad 7 Aug. 1998). Rajput is a lawyer in the Punjab High Court (ibid.).
Rajput was arrested in connection with the Burail jail-break and charged on 16 October 1998 with "unlawfully and maliciously conspiring to cause explosion at Burail jail" (The Tribune 2 Dec. 1998). On 1 December 1998 the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the charge-sheet order against Rajput (and other suspects) under Sections 41, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 8 of the Explosives Substances Act (ibid.). Rajput moved an application for bail (ibid. 25 Dec. 1998), was granted bail by the High Court, but the Supreme Court cancelled his bail order because of a petition by the government (ibid. 24 Feb. 1999). On 23 February 1999 the Additional Sessions Judge issued production warrants for Rajput (ibid.). For background information on the Burail jail case, please consult IND29992.E of 17 August 1998. For additional information on the situation of human rights activists in Punjab, please consult IND30759.EX of 12 January 1999.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Amnesty International (AI). 24 July 1998. Urgent Action: India: Fear of Safety/Fear of Torture." (AI Index: ASA 20/16/98). London: Amnesty International.
Coordination Committee on Disappearances in Punjab (CCDP) [Chandigarh].
The Hindustan Times.
India Abroad [NY]. 7 August 1998. Sanjay Suri. "Amnesty Starts Campaign to Free Rights Activists." (The Ethnic NewsWatch/NEXIS)
Kumar, Ram Narayan. 18 July 1998. Evidence of Extra-Judicial Killings in Punjab: Political Background, Bid for Impunity and Our Campaign for the Restitution of Right to Life. (Paper presented at a NY symposium at Columbia University)
Rediff on the Net.
The Tribune [Chandigarh].
_____. 25 December 1998. "Three Cross-Examined in Burail Jail Case."
_____. 2 December 1998. "Verdict in Jail-Break Case Upheld."
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International website.
Amnesty International Report 1997. 1997.
South Asia Net (WWW).
The Tribune [Chandigarh]. Daily. 30 October 1998-present.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases, NEXIS, REFWORLD.
Non-documentary sources: Unsuccessful attempts to contact two oral sources.
Attempts to contact HRPC and Rajput at the coordinates provided were unsuccessful.
