KALAIGAON (DARRANG): “Manab adhikar ghurai deo , ghurai deo (return human rights)” was the cry which rose froma 1,000strong crow data public meeting on the eye of the International Human Rights Day, at this small village, 80 km from Guwahati.
The gathering which was swelling by the minute despite cordoning off of the village by the Army, the BSF and the local police, had an overwhelming majority of impassioned young women. The participants were abandoning the buses, which were stopped outside the village, and rushing to the venue.
The meeting was organized by two local human rights organizations the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti and the Boro Women’s Justice Forum to draw attention to the alleged Army and police excesses in the static, thought this was its declared resolve, the undercurrents were frankly secessionist. Two activists were frankly secessionist. Two activists from Punjab, D.S.Gill and M.S.Grewal, repeatedly assured the crowd: “We are with you in your liberation struggle.” Anticipating opposition from the government, the meeting was organized secretly, the venue not disclosed even to journalists. The administration learnt about it late and took steps swiftly to prevent it from being held. When the police tried to arrest the women participants, the latter asked for police women. ‘The organizers had enlisted the support of some leading human rights activists from all over the country, including Ravi Nair from Delhi, P_A Sebastian from Bombay and Gill and MP Grewal from Punjab among others, Well-known activists from the state, including Prof Sanajoaba Singh of Gauhati University, Nibaran Bora, secessionist ideologue, and Parag Das and Ajit Bhuyan, Gifwahatibased newspaper editors were also present. Organizers held: The administration was in no mood to allow what it saw a5 a separatist, rabblerousing meeting. It detained the organizers and the visiting activists besides seizing the mikes and tent, “They are all ULFA and Boro Securely Force supporters, we know them,” claimed the circle inspector, C.K.Das. ~ In his overzealousness, Das and his men beat up a photographer of 4 local newspapers and snatched his camera. When the executive magistrate, B.Das urged the police to exercise restraint the circle inspector shouted at him; “Section 144 is in force, your power has been seized. Now lam the boss, you get lost,” Gauging the mood of the police, the magistrate quietly swallowed the humiliation. Later, he told correspondents that he would lodge a formal complaint with the deputy commissioner, “This is the trend all over the state,” he lamented. Addressing correspondents, the activists condemned the government highhandedness and described its action an antidemocratic and antihuman rights. They said the demands were political and their solution should also be sought politically, Ravi Nair said he had nothing to do with the political dimension of the problem, He added that: he opposed violation of human fights by the state within the frame work of the Constitution and the UN Chanter.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 17, 1993
