TAD NewsDesk, New Delhi: The farm Unions have used legal cell and written to India head of UNHRC. The unions have sought intervention on the farmers’ arrest and the dissolution of the internet services on the protest sites.
The letter was addressed to the Human Rights Commissioner, United Nations India, and was sent on January 31.
The letter preceded by advocates Vasu Kukreja, Ravneet Kaur and Jaswanthi Anbuselvam states the following:
“That your lordship, as the matter of Human Rights violations, we want your concern towards the situation of farmers in India and in the ongoing agitation. Kindly interfere in the matter and issue guidelines to the state for violating human rights.”
Mr Kukreja added that
“We have approached the India head of the UNHRC seeking their intervention of gross violation of basic rights by the police. And we have mentioned a few cases supporting our plea.”
Moreover, the advocates are hopeful and are looking towards the UN with the hope of a solution soon. They said,
“The UN has intervened many times in such matters. So we are hoping that they do the same for the farmers as well.”
The plea is advocated in a five page set up and refers to two particular judgements to support their claim,
- DK Basu vs State of West Bengal (1997) in the Supreme Court that laid out guidelines and rights of arrested persons.
- Kerala High Court decision in the Faheema Shirin vs State of Kerala case that declared “the use of the internet as basic human right”
Nametags and clear identification of interrogation officers, memo of arrests, information to family members of those arrested, diary entry of those arrested, full check-up of the held for minor or major injuries, are some of the other demands made by the legal cell.
The letter further adds:
“That, since the initiation of the protest, the farmers are getting arrested by the police from the protest site unreasonably and inappropriately in an arbitrary and barbaric nature by the police officials.”
The farm Unions are looking forward to getting help from the UN so that prompt action could be taken to release the arrested farmers. Also, intervention is needed to restore internet services as soon as possible in the protest sites.
Source: The Tribune
