Stop Violence Against Women


Human Rights Defenders


Vanangana & Gudiya

India

In Uttar Pradesh during 1999, activists of several organizations were subjected to severe harassment because of their actions in defending the rights of a woman and her child who had been subjected to domestic violence and child sexual abuse. On 10 June, Ela Panday and her 11-year-old daughter left her husband, Jagdish Chand Panday and their home in Karvi, Banda district, after having been subjected to systematic violence. Her daughter was also reportedly subjected to sexual abuse. Ela Panday immediately made a statement to this effect before the Sub-divisional Magistrate of Karvi and was provided help and support by several women's human rights organizations including Vanangana.

On the same day that Ela Panday and her daughter left their home, Jagdish Chand Panday filed an application with police in Karvi asking them to register a case of kidnapping against three members of Vanangana. In addition to this application, Jagdish Chand Panday made repeated threats to the lives of members of Vanangana, Social Action and Research Centre and Gudiya (one member was threatened with the kidnap of her son). However, the police failed to register a First Information Report (FIR) or investigate these complaints.

Amnesty International has received further reports that the High Court judge, Jagdish Chand Panday, and his lawyers made several derogatory statements against Ela Panday's lawyers and the human rights organizations who had taken up her case in open court. Amnesty International is concerned that these reports indicate a lack of respect by the judiciary for human rights defenders, and insensitivity to the issues of domestic violence and child abuse.

Talking Points

  1. Urging the Government of Uttar Pradesh to take note of the National Commission of Women report recommendations which call on the authorities;
    2. - To ensure that allegations brought against Mr Panday are investigated,
    - To transfer his case to another jurisdiction to allow a fair trial
    - To ensure that the case be heard before a bench comprising at least one woman judge
    - To legitimize the interventions made by civil society and women's groups,
  2. Urging the Government of Uttar Pradesh to ensure strict action against state officials found to have reinforced discrimination on the basis of gender.
  3. Urging the Government of Uttar Pradesh to ensure the protection of those defending the human rights of women.

Please send letters to:

R P Gupta
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Office of the Chief Minister
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh, India


Copy to:

Ambassador Lalit Mansingh
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW