Photos showing Arvind Gupta, Lingaram Kodopi, Soni Sori and Rinki Thakur in front of the new and old circuit house in Dantewada today, awaiting the SIT that never showed up
Lingaram, Soni Sori's nephew has threatened to end his life:
Will India prevent another institutional murder on March 23, 2016, intervene and prevent alleged continued atrocities and torture by sections of the authorities?
UPDATED STORY AT 3.53 p.m. MONDAY, March 14, 2016
The family of Soni Sori, accompanied by her and her lawyer, Shalini Gera have been at Dantewada since the morning. They decided that they will present themselves before the SIT and give them a letter saying that they do not have any faith in the way the investigation is proceeding and request the DGP to either take their statements himself or to constitute an independent team to do the job.
A visibly tense Town Inspector (TI) Geedam has been present in the morning, trying to ensure that the family meets the SIT on time, that is at 11.00 am at the Circuit House. With these letters in hand, the family has now been in Dantewada waiting for the SIT for over three hours but there is no sign of the SIT.
Ms Shalini Gera has called the City Superintendant of Police (CSP) Deepmala Kashyap. The CSP informed Ms Gera that they should wait and that the family and lawyers of Ms Sori would be informed through the TI Geedam when and where the SIT would meet them. Meanwhile the TI, on being contacted says he does not have any information, Ms Gera told SabrangIndia.
The family meanwhile has addressed a press conference and stated that the SIT is scared to confront them. Letters by Ms Soni Sori and her family have been faxed to DGP Upadhay and the National Human Rights Commission.
All eyes should be on Chhatisgarh as Soni Sori the Adivasi leader attacked with chemical acid on February 20, 2016 returns to the battleground that is Dantewada, Bastar to carry forward the battle against alleged rights abuses.
Several persons, including neighbours and family members of Soni Sori have been served with notices to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed soon after the attack on her. Soni and many others, including her family and other villagers are likely to appear but refuse to give statements to a team of officers they have no faith in. They are reportedly likely to say that they have recorded statements before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and are fully willing to cooperate and record statetemts before the Director General of Police Chhatisgarh, AN Upadhyay but not before a SIT they have no faith in. The past three weeks since Soni had to be taken to Delhi were torturous with threats from the authorities increasing, Shalini Gera, advocate for Soni told SabrangIndia today. Gera is with Soni Sori in Dantewada.Notices have been served on, at least, Soni Sori, Rinky, Lingaram and Arvind Gupta the original complainant about the attack on Soni.
Adivasi leader and rights activist who returned to Chhatisgarh the day before yesterday is in Dantewada today after her family and several Adivasi women and men were continually threatened allegedly by sections of the police. Linga (Lingaram Kodopi), her nephew announced on March 12 that he will hang himself due to the constant torture and harassment by the Chhatisgarh police.
Just a day earlier, on March 11, 2016 lawyers for Soni Sori had in a strongly worded letter to the DGP Chhatisgarh, AN Upadhyay outlined the allegedly illegal and coercive actions by IG Kalluri. In a letter to DGP Chhatisgarh, AN Upadhyay, her lawyers have outlined the threats to her father and detailed how her sister and brother-in-law have been taken to undisclosed locations.
The letter spoke about the harassment to including Mr. Ajay Markam and his wife, Ms. Dhani Markam, by police officials of Bastar Range (sister and brother In law of Soni Sori). Ms. Soni’s brother-in-law, Mr. Ajay Markam, has been held in police custody for a day and a half, with no intimation to his family about his whereabouts and the reasons for his detention and his wife and Ms. Sori’s sister, Ms. Dhani Markam, has also been picked up today by Bastar police and taken to an undisclosed location.
An SIT comprising of ASP Sukma Mr Santosh Singh, CSP Jagdalpur Ms Deepmala Kashyap and ASP Bijapur IK Elesela was set up to investigate this attack on Ms. Sori.
On March 12, Lingaram gave the following statements that was reported in The Times of India, “I am tired and sick of routine threats. I am being tagged as Maoist sympathizer, my phone is constantly on surveillance, and I am being tracked and followed everywhere I go. I have lost the freedom to live and earn. Now, I have decided to end my life on March 23," he says. In a whatsapp message circulated by Linga around midnight today, he alleged that he and his family were being hounded by police and that he was fed up with the continuous threats by the police who would anytime drag him out if "I don't appear before them for interrogation in Soni Sori's attack case".
March 23 is witnessed as Martyr's Day, when Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh was hanged, Linga says, adding, "Let me decide the date of my death myself. I won't allow Bastar IG to decide that. It's better to kill yourself instead of being shot at by police's gun who would consider me a Maoist or attacker of my own aunt."
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References:
1. Police threatens Soni Sori family, takes them to undisclosed Location: Lawyers
https://sabrangindia.in/article/police-threatens-soni-sori-family-takes-them-undisclosed-location-lawyers
2. न नक्सल, न पुलिस, हम जनता के साथ हैं: सोनी सोरी https://sabrangindia.in/interview/%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B2-%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%82-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80
3. Where every human rights activist is labelled a Maoist: Chhatisgarhhttps://sabrangindia.in/article/where-every-human-rights-activist-labelled-maoist-chhatisgarh
4. Soni Sori's nephew Lingaram alleges police pressure, threatens to end his life on March 23 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Soni-Soris-nephew-Lingaram-alleges-police-pressure-threatens-to-end-his-life-on-March-2/articleshow/51366981.cms?from=mdr5.
5. Chhattisgarh Police Form Special Team To Probe Attack On Soni Sori
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/chhattisgarh-police-form-special-team-to-probe-attack-on-soni-sori-1281009