Apr 4, 2018 - Maurice Nagar police station, New Delhi. Incident detail: As per the statement of the HRD, Mr. Nirbhya Kum
April 04, 2018 To, Mr. Srinivasa Kammath National Focal Point - Human Rights Defenders & Deputy Registrar National Human Rights Commission Manav Adhikar Bhawan, Block-C, GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi – 110 023 Email:
[email protected] Sub: HRD Alert - India - Urgent Appeal for Action – New Delhi - Abduction & intimidation of a whistle-blower Mr. Nirbhay Kumar in New DelhiRegarding Dear Sir, Greetings from Human Rights Defenders Alert - India! HRD Alert - India is a Forum of Human Rights Defenders for Human Rights Defenders. It endeavours to initiate actions on behalf of Human Rights Defenders under threat or with security concerns. We are now writing to express our grave concern regarding the alleged abduction and intimidation of a whistle-blower Mr. Nirbhaya Kumar in New Delhi. Source of Information on the Incident: •
Communication with Mr. Nirbhya Kumar
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The Coordinator of HRDA for the East of India
The Human Rights Defenders: Mr. Nirbhya Kumar is a student preparing for the SSC exam and filing RTI to reveal the corruption in the education department since the last 3 years. He had filed RTI query regarding the appointment of Prof. Aslam Pravez as the Vice Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderbaad on October 16, 2017. The Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Court has issued quo warranto writ to the Ministry of Human Resource & Development (MHRD) against the appointment of professor Prof. Aslam Pravez. Mr. Nirbhya Kumar also had filed RTI queries regarding appointments in other universities as well. 1
The Perpetrators: 1. SHO, Maurice Nagar Police Station 2. Mr. Praveen Narwal, Sub Inspector of Police 3. Mr. Ankush Washan Date of Incident: March 21, 2018. Place of Incident: Maurice Nagar police station, New Delhi Incident detail: As per the statement of the HRD, Mr. Nirbhya Kumar had filed RTI queries to access the information of attendance records of students from Faculty of Law in Delhi University on February 13, 2018. Through the RTI query he found that many students are engaged in other profession and government jobs while studying law from the University. On March 21, 2018, about 7.30,PM Mr. Nirbhya Kumar with his friend Jitendra Thakur were near the Delhi University office, where Mr. Ankush Washan, a government employee who is enrolled in the Faculty of Law as a regular student approached him and asked him to enter in his car. When Mr. Kumar refused, he and one another person who came along Mr. Washan forced him to get into their car. Seeing this his friend ran away and escaped from the place. Both of them then took Mr. Kumar near Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute where Mr. Washan and the other person physically assaulted Mr. Kumar and abused using derogatory words. Mr. Washan threatened Mr. Kumar to withdraw the existing RTI application filed against him and not to file any RTI queries again. Mr. Kumar was then let to leave from that place after he had promised to withdraw his RTI applications. Following it, Mr. Kumar had called the local police, but the Sub Inspector of Maurice Nagar Police Station instead of helping him and registering the case shouted at him alleging to be drunk and later had sent a constable for recording medical report in the 2
hospital. After the medical test, Mr. Kumar came to the police station to file a complaint against the accused persons. The police personnel in Maurice Nagar Police Station did not register a FIR and have been alleged to be asking Mr. Nirbhya Kumar to withdraw his complaint against the accused persons. Appeal: We, therefore urge you to immediately take necessary steps and: •
Order an immediate, independent, thorough, transparent, effective and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned alleged incident of abduction and intimidation;
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Ensure that a FIR is filed against the perpetrators based on Mr. Kumar’s complaint;
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Ensure protection for Mr. Kumar who is still facing threats by the perpetrators.
Looking forward to your immediate action in this regard, Yours sincerely,
Henri Tiphagne Honorary Working Secretary Copies to: Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister - Government of NCT of Delhi, 3rd Level, Delhi Secretariat, I.P. Estate New Delhi – 110 002. Email:
[email protected] Mr. Anshu Prakash, Chief Secretary - Government of NCT of Delhi, 5th Floor, Delhi Secretariat, I.P. Estate New Delhi – 110 002. Email:
[email protected] Mr. Amulya Patnaik, Commissioner of Police, New Delhi. Email:
[email protected] [email protected]
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