Protestors demand release of 'Prisoners of Conscience'

SAN FRANCISCO: As scores of well-dressed people entered the Palace of Fine Arts here January 26 to attend Republic Day celebrations, a small group of protestors gathered outside the entrance to demand the release of two "prisoners of conscience."
School teacher Soni Sori, 35, and her nephew, journalist Linga Kodopi, 25, have been held by Chhattisgarh police since October 2011 for their alleged collusion with Maoist rebels in the region.
Sori and Kodopi are accused of transferring $300,000 from the Essar mining company to Maoist rebels.
Amnesty International has declared Sori and Kodopi to be "prisoners of conscience" and has petitioned the Indian government to immediately and unconditionally release the pair.
While in prison, Sori was allegedly brutally tortured by Chhattisgarh police. A medical examination revealed severe spinal cord damage and stones pushed into her genitals.
Protests to release Sori and Kodopi were simultaneously held in London Jan. 26 and in Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; and San Jose, Calif., last weekend. Demonstrations will be held this weekend in Columbus, Ohio and Dallas, Texas.
"We want to put a stop to torture," Balaji Narasimhan, one of the organizers of the San Francisco protest, told India-West. "As Indian Americans, we find injustices like this to be a huge blemish on our India, a country we are all otherwise justifiably very proud of," he added.
"Republic Day is a day to celebrate the Indian Constitution. We use the occasion to remind ourselves and others of the fundamental rights it guarantees - rights like the right to life, personal liberty and the due process of law - to all people, especially the most vulnerable of the people of India," said Narasimhan.
The small group initially gathered at the entrance to the Palace of Fine Arts, but was asked to move from the public space by consular officials, according to Narasimhan. The group then moved about 150 feet away from the entrance and handed out flyers and gathered signatures on a petition as people walked over to the Republic Day celebrations inside.
Asti Bhatt, another organizer of the San Francisco protest, told India-West that at least one attendee felt the demonstration made India "look bad."
"According to him, the instances of human rights violations in India are not institutionalized or systemic in India but are one-off instances," she said.
Human Rights Watch, a non-profit organization tracking human rights violations throughout the globe, issued its "World Report" Jan. 24, citing several instances of police torture and custodial killings in Jammu and Kashmir and in Maoist stronghold regions.
"India has yet to repeal laws or change policies that allow impunity from human rights violations, and has failed to prosecute even known perpetrators of serious abuses," noted the report.
Human rights activists in Maoist regions seeking accountability for arbitrary arrests, torture and killings have themselves come under threat from both Naxalite forces and the police, noted the report. Naxalite forces have killed 250 civilians and have targeted schools and hospitals for bombings, according to the report, which added that government forces have killed at least 180 Naxalites in the past year.
Inadequate government oversight in Chhattisgarh has led to international mining companies haphazardly destroying farmlands, polluting vital water supplies and creating serious health and environmental hazards, stated Human Rights Watch in its annual report.
Courtesy: India West staff reporter