T.S.S.Mani,
Chennai-Kanchi-Tiruvallore dist.sec.
Press Release [ Final version }
X I th National Covention of P.U.C.L. held at Jaipur on Dec.-1st and
2nd. Around 300 dwlwgates from 20 States, including 100 delegates from
Rajasthan, 30 delegates from Tamilnadu led by State president
Saraswathi and Gen sec. Balamurugan from Tamilandu in th etrain, 20
delegates from Karnataka,
delegates from Manipur, Assam, Uththarkand, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Bihar, Kerala, Delhi, Uttarpradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya pradesh,
Orissa, Andhra pradesh, Panjab, participated in the Two day
Convention
Rajendra Sachar, former Chief Judge of Delhi and Rajasthan H.C.
participated in the inagural Session. Aruna Ray, Vice- President of
Rajasthan PUCL gave an address after the Felicitations were done on
the First day, Dec-1st morning to Sachar, National President Prabakar
Sinha from Bihar. Dr. V.Suresh, Advocate from Tamilnadu was elected
and announced as the National General Secreatary. Suresh gave an
wonderful speech on the present situation of Human Rights in India.He
pointed out that the recent Universal Progressive Report discussion in
the UNHRC meet on India's H.R situation was questioned by morethan 100
countries who enquirred about the communally violent activities in
this country, to which the Govt. of India's representative was not
able to explain.Suresh in his speech refered to the Oppression of the
men and women who voices their dissent to the happennings around them
through their Facebook and Cartoons, made us to remember Gandhiji who
says that "Loyalty and Disloyalty can't be imposed". He mentions that
India as apart of Soth Asia should fight for the Reclaiming of
Democracy.For that the H.R.groups around Soth Asia should be united,
he stressed.He explains that the Sedition charges filed against Human
Rights defenders is incresing and a national campaign should be
launched against that.He pointed out how the Anti-Nuke forces in
Koodangulam struggle were also imposed with Sedition charges. He says
that Nehru Govt declares to withdraw Sedition law.
{V.Suresh and Rajendra Sachar photo is available in the Internet on X
I th National Convention of PUCL website and also available is Suresh
photo in the Google] Kavitha Srivatsava, National Secreatary and
backbone of PUCL in Rajasthan, and Aruna Ray, Rajasthan V.P.of PUCL
were felicitationg the eleders.
First Session was on Communalism and Terrorism.
Teesta gave a powerful presentation. Rajasthan communal unrest created
by the fundamandal forces have been met by the State unit of PUCL.
that was narrated. Coimbatore advocate Abu Bakar instead of
Jawahirulla MLA who was suppossed to give a TN account narrated trhe
details of Coimbatore situation. D-Souza from karnataka explains teh
communal flareup intheir state.Teesta Setalvad of the Combat
Communalism magazine speeks on the undemocratic activities of the
Govt.of Gujarat. She pointed out that the Dalits issues are not
getting coverage in the Media. She remembers that K.G.Kannabiran and
Kavitha gave a Framework for the protection of H.R. defenders to NHRC,
and we are still not getting any result.Minorities and Dalits are
deprived in the Right to Education she pointed out.In the Assam
carnage recently the names of 110 persons killed was not known is a
sad affair, she says.Faizabad was an ICON of Peace before the
demolition of Babri Masjith, she recalls. Archeological Monument has
been made into communal clashes, she expalins. The Supreme court which
has taken the Face Book episode as a Suo-Moto case has not taken any
Dalit atrocity as a Suo Moto Case, she pointed out. The report of the
Concerned Citizens Tribunal by Aruna Ray, Justices V.R.Krishan
Iyer,Sawant, H.Suresh, which exposed the State sponsored Genocide of
the Modi govt. only make the Supreme court to act on the Gujarat
atrcities. To the hate speeches and hate writings, the majority is
Silent is her accusation.Distruction of evidence is seen in the
Ayodhya case she says. Law is being made only in the Trial court, she
pointed out by sighting Narodia- Patia case, to protect 570 victims by
the "Witness Protection Programme". The women Judge delivery of 2000
pages jedgement in Naroda-Patia case is a tribute to our Justice
system, she says. In Post Godhrs case we don't demand Death
Penalty,but the Godhra Train burning case the death penalties were
announced by them, though nine accussed died in the prison itself she
says. We should demand CCTV in every court, sothat to protect the
wirnesses, she asks.She recalls Best Backery case for that demand.
Next session was on Anti-democratic laws like AFSP,
UAPA, I.T act, Chattisgarh special public security act, Madhya Pradesh
public security act, Orissa industrial security act, like acts were
exposed by Bbaloo from Manipur, Rajendra sAIL from Chattisgarh,
Madhuri from Madhya pradesh.
Next comes the Resources session. Prof.
Fatimababu from Tuticorine, narrates Koodankgulam struggle for the
last 25 years. She said when the proposal for the Nuclear plant was
announced then itself in 1987 the agitation starts.At that time it
spreads to Rallys in Nellai, Nagarkovil, Tuticorine and also in
Kanyakumari in 1980 when the police atrocity on the 80,000 fisherfolk
gathered on May 1st was brutal.She qouted the Train Roko in Turicorine
recently against the oppression on the Idinthakarai people, She qouted
the Titucorine Port Ghero, and how the Milk feeding children when
facing the Police encirclement were helped by their associates from
Tuticorine defying the police ban. She narrates about their PUCL fact
finding team report of exposing that the Nakkaneri exercise for a mock
trial does not take place as announced y the district collector. She
qouted advocate Nagasaila's argument in the Supreme court about the
illegality of the Koodangulam plant by defying the C.R.Z. notification
of 1991 and E.I.A.of 1994, which should be applied for the NPCIL
plant, since NPCIL according to its own documents is an independent
Industry lanched by the D.A.E.for Commercial purposes including
foriegn tarnsactions. So as argued by the Govt lawer Mohan Parasaran,
the KKNPP is not a direct plant of the DAE and it can't be avoided
from the existing laws of the land. She points out that notonly the
fisherfolk but also the Farmers from the Ndar community and others are
in the opposition of that plant and she qoutes the role of
Balaprajathipathi adigalar, Kumaradass and Ravi of Koodangulam in
speaheading the struggle. Even the danger of keeping the spent fuel
was qouted in the supreme court by the PUCL lawer Nagasaila recently
and the case is coming forthe next hearing on Dec-6th, she said. Her
halfan hour speech was well attnded by the delegates, and Dr.Binayak
sen from Chattisgarh and also national Vice president of PUCL came to
the stage and congradulates her.That was an eye opener to the ongoing
Koodangulam struggle to the national level meet.Balamurugan Gen.Sec.
of Tamilandu PUCL explains about the politics of Resources and how the
Tiger Sanitoriums are used to evict the Adhivasis from the
Forests.NCTC, BSF amendments, and RPF amandmends oppossed by the
regional parties should be taken into considerations and PUCL should
have a united fight along with them against those anti-democratic laws
is an opinion rendered in the meet.
On the second day the convention gave emphasis for
stregtheneing PUCL in every state. Social vangurads should be
recruited to PUCL as meembers and even party memebers can be recruted
was the theme of the questioner given to the delegates. PUCL history
from the launching by Jayaprakash narayanan, and established in
thenyaer of 1980, held its first national convention in Chennai in
1981 when Cho Ramasamy was the state president, and the argument comes
in the convention on equating naxal vilence with State vilence
everything was narrated in that session. In the conclution PUCL
memebers and elegates from around teh country takes a declaration to
fight for the Human Rights defenders who were targeted by the state.
Seema awaz, Vice president from U.P., Binayak sen from chattisgarh,
Madhuri from Madhya pradesh who was exrerminated were quoted as
examples and all of them narrates their stories. With a clear mond to
face trhe challenges on H.R. the delegates concluded the sessio