The Persecuted Prisoners Solidarity Committee (PPSC) strongly condemns the judgement by the Gadchiroli Sessions Court March 7, 2017 convicting Mahesh Tirki, Pandu Narote, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Vijay Tirki and G N Saibaba, under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and awarding life sentence to five of them and a ten year imprisonment to another. Continue reading
The walls of Tihar shut out not only the warmth of the sun, but also of society. The high walls of the high risk wards block out the sun and also most facilities, OPD and entertainment in jail.
The inhumanity of the atmosphere within the jail is even colder. Extreme levels of manipulativeness and selfishness would make even our politicians look like gems. Truth is a rarity, falsehood the norm, naturalness a casualty, pretence is natural.
Tihar reflects, one could say, the microcosm of today’s society outside, only the dregs of it. Of course, in the dirtiest muck, one finds some diamonds, but that is rare. To live by principles is near impossible, to live opportunistically the main principle. Simplicity is considered naïve, nay foolish. The cunning and the ruthless are the models. Continue reading
Prof. G Hargopal has written a letter to Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik regarding hunger strike by under trial prisoners demanding speedy trial of their cases in jails of Odisha.
Hargopal is one of the Maoists chosen mediators who negotiated with the Odisha government for release of R Vineel Krishna, the then Malkangiri district collector and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi who were abducted by the ultras in February 2011.
Dear Shri. Naveen Patnaikji,
Pl recall our meetings at the time of Malkangiri episode where we intervened and negotiated on a request from Odisha Govt and Maoist party. You would agree that the issue could be negotiated without any loss of human life. I am sure you would also appreciate civil societal intervention helps in conflict situations.
Bhubaneswar: Maoist leader Dunna Keshav Rao alias Azad dropped his indefinite fast on Wednesday in the SCB Medical at Cuttack. Accepting the request of ADG (Jail) Arun Ray, Azad called off his fast which was going on for the last 21 days. Azad’s associates Kamalakant Sethi and Asutosh Soren also ended their fast, said sources.
Azad and his six fellow inmates had been hospitalised in the Capital Hospital on April 6 after the condition of them turned serious as they have been on a hunger strike for the past few days. Later, under deteriorating health condition Azad and few others were shifted to SCB Cuttack.
Notably, Azad was lodged in the Jharpada Circle Jail here from 2011 and it was his fourth fast inside the jail in the past five years demanding fulfillment of the five point charter of demands which includes speedy trial, status of a political prisoner, regular court production for trial of the cases filed against him. He alleged that the State Police intentionally booked him in old cases.
http://www.prameyanews7.com/en/apr2016/odisha/21470/Maoist-leader-Azad-calls-off–hunger-strike-hunger-strikeMaoist-leader-AzadOdisha-Odisha.htm
Fourth year in a row, the 36 Jailed Maruti Suzuki workers came to the Court for their hearing on APRIL 16TH . They are still in Jail since July 2012 without even having got bail.
The High Court earlier rejecting their bail plea had commented that “the reputation of India in the world has been lowered (by the workers actions). It should be ensured that foreign investment is not adversely affected”. 212 workers languish under the heavy hand of criminal cases, 2500 working class families have been almost reduced to destitution and continuous repression for daring to speak out and revolt. This state repression is daily growing in these industrial belts on behest of the capitalist class.
The ‘Great Indian Nation’ daily devours its people on the altar of the machine, the Dollar and the Rupee. The Judiciary, which manages the legality of the atrocity, is particularly savage when it comes to the toilers of the land or the ‘fringes’ from the land.
Only class solidarity dares to stand by in such times. Today the workers of the Maruti Gurgaon plant through its Union collected money from their salaries, and supported the family members of 36 jailed Maruti workers by offering Rs. 50,000 financial contribution to each of the families. The newly elected office bearers of Marutisuzuki Workersunion of Maruti Manesar plant including Union President Ajmer and General Secretary Daulat Ram, the union body of Maruti Powertrain and Suzuki Motorcycles, and the members of the provisional working committee, MSWU were present. All the workers and struggling Union representatives reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for justice for the jailed Maruti workers.
Immediately release the political prisoners of class struggle from Maruti to Pricol to Orient Craft to Graziano to Regent Ceramics !
Bhubaneswar: Police on Monday refused to allow a group of civil society members to meet three undertrial prisoners, who are undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after their condition deteriorated due to indefinite fast.
The prisoners had begun the fast in the Jharpada Special Jail here on March 30 demanding expeditious trial of their cases. They and four others were arrested in connection with the February 15, 2008, Maoist attack on police stations and looting of armoury in Nayagarh in which 14 policemen and one civilian were killed.
Five cases were registered against them. In three cases, six of them have since been acquitted. Their complaint, sent to different authorities including the chief minister and human rights commissions (Odisha and national), is that trial in the remaining two cases though started in March 2012 has not made much progress because of non-production of witnesses, mostly government employees. This has led to their long stay in jail. They further said the high court had issued a direction to dispose of their cases by 2012. Continue reading
COMMITTEE FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS
185/3, FOURTH FLOOR, ZAKIR NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110025
IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE POLITICAL PRISONERS WHO ARE ON HUNGER STRIKE IN ODISHA JAILS FOR THEIR DEMAND OF SPEEDY TRIAL
10 April 2015
RELEASE ALL THE POLITICAL PRISONERS LANGUISHING IN VARIOUS JAILS IN ODISHA FOR YEARS TOGETHER WITHOUT ANY TRIAL SOLELY DUE TO THE DELIBERATE DELAY INDULGED IN BY THE PROSECUTION!
POLITICAL PRISONER STATUS TO ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!
PUNISH THE OFFICERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRIMINAL DELAY!
CONSITUTE AN IMPARTIAL JUDICIAL INQUIRY INTO SUCH WIDESPREAD INSTANCES OF IMPUNITY IN ODISHA, CHATTISGARH, JHARKHAND, WEST BENGAL, BIHAR, DELHI, JAMMU & KASHMIR, KERALA, KARNATAKA!
ALLOW CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS, FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF POLITICAL PRISONERS TO VISIT AND HEAR OUT TO THE
INCARCERATED PRISONERS! Continue reading
GUNTUR: Arrested Maoist leader Bhutham Annapurna has said that she had no intention of surrendering before police and is still drawn towards revolutionary ideology.
Annapurna, who also goes by the names Padma, Aruna and Suguna, said: “As I fell sick, I came to my sister’s house five days ago to take rest. I have not yet decided about my future.” The aspirations of people would only be realised through a revolution. “I still believe that the society will witness changes only through revolutions. As we believe the same, we are fighting for the cause,” she told the media in the presence of Guntur Rural SP K Narayana Naik. Continue reading
