Ignoring Multai Farmers’
Massacre, Life imprisonment of Former Legislator, Dr Sunilam a Black Day for Judiciary
and Democracy
Denial of bail to
Dayamani Barla is denial of justice
New Delhi November 2, 2012: Disregarding farmers’ massacre in
Multai by Digvijay Singh led Madhya Pradesh Government on January 12, 1998, former
legislator and President of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Dr Sunilam who was
demanding compensation for their revenue and crop insurance compensation for
loss of crops in 1997 has been convicted for life imprisonment for farmers. Dr
Sunilam led the farmers' agitation to lay siege on the Multai tehsil office of
Betul district demanding relief for the crops destroyed.
It is relevant to remember that after the registration of
fake cases in 1998, Dr Sunilam won the legislative assembly seat of Multai, by
a margin of 50% votes. Peoples’ verdict denounced the action against him and
the farmers’ massacre. In 2003 again he won as MLA with 60% of polled votes
roundly defeating BJP and Congress candidates on both these occasions.
In such a scenario, the Congress government registered 66
fake cases against more than 250 farmers including Dr Sunilam. The complicity
of BJP and Congress in saving those officials who are accused of farmers’
massacre is not inexplicable. Even after more than 14 years justice has been
denied to farmers who were killed although the then Superintendent of Police
and District Magistrate of Betul district were suspended for unjustified police
firing after the farmers massacre but they were rewarded later. The State
Government under Digvijay Singh brutally crushed the non-violent farmers’
movement using the state police.
It is noteworthy that the BJP Government withdrew
cases against 1 lakh 76 thousand BJP workers. In a case of collusion between
BJP and collusion and business interests like Adani Power Project Limited but
the fabricated cases against him and the famers of Mulati were not
withdrawn.
In 2008 elections, Indian National Congress won
the seat with BJP as the first runner up and Dr as the second runner up. It is
clear from the voting trend in Multai that the Dr Sunilam is a political rival
of both the Congress and the BJP. His entrapment is a case of naked political
vendetta against him.
Dr Sunilam and two others were convicted in a
murder case and two attempt to murder cases Multai on October 18, 2012 by District
and Sessions Court judge SC Upadhyay. Dr Sunilam was convicted in two other
cases as well which were also related to the farmers agitation.
Dr Sunilam has faced life threatening assaults on at least seven
occasion sunder the Congress rule in the State. Dr Sunilam has revealed that under
BJP rule, he was assaulted for the eighth time for protesting against the 1,320
MW coal-based thermal power plant of Adani Power Project Limited and the Pench
Water Diversion Project from the Pench river for the power project at the
behest of Chhindwara MP and Union Minister Kamalnath. It is planned to be
completed by 2012-13 and Dr Sunilam appeared as an impediment to these business
interests.
The speakers like Justice Rajender Sachar, Retd. Chief
Justice, Delhi High Court, D. Raja, Member of Parliament from Communist Party
of India, Vinod Singh, farmers leader, Yudhvir Singh, farmers leader, Bhartiya
Kisan Union, Kavita Srivasatava, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan
and Chitranjan Singh, Indian Social Action Forum underlined the following
disturbing issues that emerge from the flawed judgment against Dr Sunilam:
- The core issue of farmers massacre in which 24 people lost their lives has been ignored and their leader jailed
- When politicians are competing to set higher standards for corruption, a honest former socialist legislator and a leading anti-corruption leader has been convicted for life imprisonment
- The judgment is based on the testimony of the witnesses who are accused for farmers massacre
- Although the judgment finds Dr Sunilam innocent of all charges except ‘commonality of intent’ with the agitated farmers still he has been sentenced inconsistently
- The judgment signals that judiciary does not appear to be autonomous. It appears to be overwhelmed.
The speakers expressed dismay at the delay in
granting of bail to Dayamani Barla, Adivasi Moolvasi Raksha Manch, Jharkhand. Dayamani
is a prominent anti-displacement adiwasi leader , who was granted bail by a
local court of Ranchi on October 18, 2012. But she was arrested again when
friends and colleagues of Dayamani reached jail to
receive her, they were told that she is been arrested in the Nagadi case and
can’t be let off. She was sent to Jail on October 16, 2012 in fourteen days
judicial custody, after she surrendered before the court in a matter of April
25, 2006. The recent intimidation and arrest is due to her leading a restless,
successful and mostly peaceful (except once when police opened fire on
villagers) struggle against the acquisition of fertile land at Nagdri, a
village situated at few kilometers from the state capital and where government
wants to build IIM, IIT and National Law School.
It is evident that using governments, corporate
interests are desperately trying to crush the movements by hook or crook.
Harassment of public interest advocates like It is not a matter of Dr Sunilam
and Dayamani Barla on fake pretexts
and conviction in fabricated cases has become a trend that merits the response
of the sane legal, social and political minds to defang the bite of the
strategic lawsuit against public participation to save democracy from further
deterioration. The Press
Conference was held at the Indian Women's Press Corps, New Delhi.
For Details: Ramesh Kr. Sharma, INSAF-Indian Social Action Forum, New Delhi-110016, Ph: 011-26517814, 65663958, 9818111562. Gopal Krishna, Mb: 9818089660
The
Conviction of Dr. Sunilam and others in the Multai police firing case of 1998
in which 24 farmers were killed by police bullets: A critique of the judgements
Background
: What happened
On
the 12th of January, 1998, 24
farmers were killed and a 150 injured
in a police firing in Multai Tehsil, Betul District of Shahdol division
of MP. Since this was the 3rd year of crop failure, These farmers
were demanding Rs 5000 compensation as against Rs 400 offered by the DigVijaya Singh Government. In this
firing the driver of a fire engine was killed and according to the police more
than fifty policemen were injured.
66
cases were filed by the police against Dr Sunilam and other farmers. Of which
Dr Sunilam is facing trial in 18 cases and convicted in 3 cases on the 18th
of Oct. Dr Sunilam was convicted for life against cases 277, 278 and 280. Who
is Dr Sunilam, What are these FIRs? And why has he been convicted? Here is a
brief write up.
Who
is Dr. Sunilam
Dr. Sunilam was born as Sunil Mishra on 27 July
1961 in Bhopal, India. After schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Gwalior, he
graduated from Govt. Science College, Gwalior and completed his post-graduation
- Msc in Applied Physics from M.I.T.S., Gwalior. He received a PhD in
Bio-Medical Electronics from Delhi University. He was Research Associate with
CISR. After returning from Burn's Institute, Melbourne, Australia, he became a
full-time political worker.
A social activist, politician and writer, Dr.
Sunilam published and co-authored two books. In Samajwadi Andolan ke Dastavej
(in Hindi with Prof. Vinod Prasad Singh), he collected various facts and papers
relating to the socialist movement. In English he prepared a book with Shri
Surendra Mohan, the late shri HariDev Sharma and Prof. V.P. Singh titled
"Evolution of Socialist Policy in India". Sunilam also compiled a
book on Urvaiam, the northeastern frontier by Rammanohar Lohia. Sunilam
continues to write articles in national newspapers and local dailies.
Dr
Sunilam was twice MLA, once as an independent from Multai between December 1998
and December 2003 and the second time as a Samajwadi Party MLA from 2003
December to 2008 December. He lost in the elections in 2008 December. His
defeat is attributed to his struggle against the land acquisition which was
being under taken by the Government for Adani’s Pench power plant and the
construction of the dam on river Pench by Adanis which was displacing more than
35 villages. His removal now from the scene has already hastened the process of
land acquisition with the district collector giving an ultimatum that if
farmers would not vacate their farmland and homes by the 4th of
November then their homes and crops would be razed and taken over. This order
came on the 30th of October. Police and Para military has already
spread itself in that area for the takeover.
What are the Cases
Judgement
277/2006: Attempt to murder and injuring than a incharge S N Katare and
snatching his arms. Total witnesses examined 16 - Policeman 13, Doctor 1 and
Independent 2. Dr. Sunilam and two
others convicted u/s 148 for one year, 145 for one year, 152 for one year,
333/149 for five years and Rs 1000/- fine and 307/149 for seven years and Rs
1000/- fine.
Judgement
278/2006: Attempt to murder and injuring policeman Sarnam Singh. Total
witnesses examined 14 - Policeman 8, Doctors 3 and Independent 3. Dr. Sunilam
and two others convicted u/s 148 for one year, 332/149 for one year with Rs 500
fine and 307/149 for seven years with Rs 1000/- fine.
Judgement
280/2006: Murder of Dhir Singh, driver Fire Brigade. Total witnesses examined
30 - Policeman 12, Doctors 3, Administration 10 and Independent 5. Sunilam
convicted with 7 others u/s 148 for one year, 145 for one year, 152 for one
year, 323/149 for one year and Rs 1000/- fine and 302/149 for life and Rs
5000/- fine and section 3 of prevention of damage to public property Act Rs
50000/- fine.
What
a travesty of natural justice that the police and administration who in a
pre-meditated manner had come in full force to kill and repress a gathering of
farmers who had shown no inclination to violence in their nearly week long
agitation (give details) have been left scot free and unaccountable for their
crime but the leader of the farmers Dr. Sunilam a believer and practitioner in
non-violent politics has been convicted for life. It is clear from a perusal of
judgement in the three cases in which Dr. Sunilam has been convicted that the
administration and the police connived to frame Dr. Sunilam and his close
colleagues in order to hide their own act of pre - mediated murder and
repression inflicted on farmers protesting for their rights. It is unfortunate
that the judgement bought the police case hook line and sinker and reflected
the police bias.
Regarding
the unfortunate events of 12th January, 1998 there are two versions
or narratives.
1) Of
the agitating farmers.
2) Of
the police and the administration.
To
summarise the version of the farmers is : that it was a lawful and peaceful
assembly of the farmers at the Tehsil premises in exercise of their
constitutional rights to freedom of expression, protest and association and
assembly. When they gathered they were making a legal demand and when they
gathered there were no prohibitory orders in place. The agitation demanding
compensation for the crops damaged by hail storm had been on for a period of
time in the course of which the District Collector ??? himself had come to
their meeting on the 9th?? January, 1998 indicating a sort of
understanding with the administration. But on 12 January, 1998 the attitude of
the Administration had undergone a seachange andn they had posted a
disproportionate police force in great numbers to crush the legitimate and
peaceful agitation, of the farmers violently. Section 144 of the CrPC was
imposed suddenly to deliberately declare the assembly unlawful, unprovoked
lathi charge, tear gas and police firing followed in quick succession resulting
in the death of 24 farmers. The three
judgements completely disregards the few witnesses of the defence to this
narrative. But it relies preponderantly on the testimonies of the police and
government witnesses discounting the fact that they could be bound by a common self
interest of washing of their crime of killing 24 farmers and thus colluding to
frame the leader of the farmer in false cases.
The
prosecution cases and the judgement rests on the following points.
1) The
Assembly of the farmers was unlawful and violent led by Dr. Sunilam.
2) The
violence among other things resulted in the death of a the driver of the fire brigade
Dheer Singh, attempt to murder and injuries to Sarnam Singh and Thana Incharge
SN Katare and Sarnam Singh.
3) Dr
Sunilam is culpable for this violence not only as the leader instigating a
violent gathering but he led an participated in the acts of violence in full
knowledge and murdered and attempted to murder the persons concerned in full
knowledge.
4) The
use of force by police, including lathi charge is justified to disperse an
unlawful and violent assembly of farmers and establish the rule of law.
The
three judgements reliance on the testimonies of police and administrative
witnesses, which suffer from several
contradictions of its own is demolished by a perusal of the Roznamcha
Sanah ( Daily Diary 12.1.1998) of
the police of 12.01.98 the day of the incident. This daily dairy is quoted by
the judge in Judgement number 280/2006
but not in judgements 277 and 278 of 2006. A careful reading of the
daily diary reveals that the police activities of gathering in full force had
begun early in the morning in a pre-meditated manner even before the agitating
farmers had gathered and a little later the evidence quoted about the violent
intent of the gathering farmers was quite flimsy. The daily diary also
revealingly betrays the fact that the declaration of section 144 CrPC precedes
and the lathi charge and tear gassing on the crowd precedes any violent
activity from the side of the crowd. In
short an inference can validly drawn from the daily diary of the police itself
that the declaration of sec 144 CrPC was pre-meditated and merely a tool used
to declare the assembly unlawful. This chain of events revealed by the case
diary but ignored by the judgement makes the subsequent testimonies by the
police and Government completely untrustworthy because they seem to be an after
thought and a result of collusion among these witness bound by a common interest
of hiding there crime of wilfully murdering 24 farmers. The judge has
completely ignored the fact that to do this they framed the leader of the
farmers Dr. Sunilam through false testimonies.
According to the Roznamcha Sanah ( Daily
Diary) of the police of 12.01.98 quoted in the judgement 280/ 2006 the police
activity begins at 7.25 am when the interaction with the SHOs of various police
station begins by which time the agitating farmers had not even gathered. At
9.03 am various police officers were deployed with full force at the premises
of Multai Tehsil with proper instructions “ even before the farmers have
gathered and begun their activity at the aforesaid premises”. The question here
arises as to what these “proper instructions” are? since these have been left unspecified.
In
the Roznamcha the first reference to any so called violent intent of the
gathering farmers is at 11.32 am on 12.01.1998 in which one Ashok Ghanghoria is
said to have given the information that
members of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti intended to encircle and to lock
up the Tehsil and information is said to have been received from an informer
that members of the samiti were bringing illegal arms and stones hidden in
their pockets and bags and also in tractor trolleys with an intention of
causing destruction and arson in the Tehsil premises. The intention of the
Kisan Sangharsh Samiti members was supposed to be extreme and dubious as they
were shouting slogans like “die or kill, our right will be ours”,
the reliance on supposed informers is highly dubious which information would an
informer be able to look into pockets and bags for illegal arms and stones and
how could any informer on the basis of the aforementioned slogans which are
routine in any agitation surmise the violent intentions of an agitating crowd. It
is important to note here that according to the Roznamcha the agitating farmers
have not indulged in any actual violent activities till 11.30 am that day.
According to the Roznamcha CrPC section 144 is imposed at 11.35 am without any violent
act having occurred and by 11.40 the roznamcha is still recording the fact that
the crowd was merely shouting slogans. According
to the Roznamcha the announcement of imposition of section 144 was made at
11.45 am. IT is clear from this that section 144 was imposed without any actual
violent activity occurred and the purpose was to simply declare the assembly
illegal. According to the Roznamcha tear gas and lathi charge were ordered at
12.55 pm but there is said to have no effect on the mob as it is said to have
become violent. It is noteworthy that the 1st instance of stone
throwing from the side of the agitators is recorded at 12.56 pm in the
Roznamcha after the use of lathi charge and tear gas. Thus the stone throwing
should be inferred as a reaction from a section of the crowd to the violence
unleashed by the police. All subsequent violent actions by the crowd have been
entered after 1.05 pm including the so called violent acts of Dr Sunilam for
which he has been convicted.
All
the three judgements taken together have painted Dr. Sunilam as a superman or
spiderman who within a short span of nine minutes, between 12.56 pm and 1.05 pm
beats the police tear gassing and lathi charge to enter the premises snatches
the rifle from a police officer and tries to kill him and injures him in the
process then goes on to attack another police officer and tries to kill him and
jumps on to a moving fire-brigade vehicle drags the driver out, smashes his
head with a stone in order to kill him. All this is highly impossible for
anybody whatever the testimony of any of the witnesses be.
The
SDM is said to have testified to have given the firing orders at 1.15pm on the
basis of the information of the police officer regarding the above mentioned
implausible acts of violence. Clearly the SDO has signed on the dotted orders.
It is unfortunate that the judgement has accepted such a flawed police case.
It
is on these grounds that the judgement must be read and analysed.
It
is our opinion that the judgement is biased and section has become a tool for
declaring all constitutional expressions of democratic dissent as unlawful. It
has also become a tool to inflict and justify police atrocities and absolve
them of all crimes. This flawed judgement has naturally ignored all the
contradictions in the testimonies of the various police and administrative
witnesses which are major and cannot be ignored, even the doctors have differed
on the cause of death of Dheer Singh the driver of the fire brigade.
Kavita
Srivastava, PUCL (in consultation with Sr. Council Ravi Kiran Jain, Allahabad High Court, Supreme
Court)
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