All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) welcomes the order of the NHRC dated January 7, 2017 on the Bastar rape cases. AIDWA and Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) today urged the NHRC and the SC-ST Commission to enquire into other instances of atrocities by Security Forces in Bastar. Along with its memorandum, the two organisations also submitted copies of several fact-finding teams that record specific instances of assaults on women, fake encounters and forced surrenders.
The organisations demanded that the NHRC initiate a process of district level hearings where ordinary villagers can come and register their complaints and provide evidence on several instances of state repression and atrocities. The NHRC is requested to take suomoto notice of the state repression in Chhattisgarh and direct the Government to disband and stop providing protection to illegal and unauthorised lumpen elements through organisations like the Samajik Ekta Manch and AGNI which has threatened to physically stop human rights activists from entering Bastar.
Malini Bhattacharya Mariam Dhawale
President General Secretary
