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Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
http://pmindia.nic.in/write.htm
The SecretaryGeneral
Supreme Court of India
Tilak Marg, New Delhi-110 001
E-mail at : supremecourt@nic.in
The Chairman
The National Human Rights Commission,
New Delhi
Email: ionhrc@nic.in, covdnhrc@nic.in
Tel.: +91 22 23384012
Fax: +91 22 23384863
Cc:
Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Chief Minister
Government of West Bengal
Writers' Building, Calcutta 700001
E-mail: cm@wb.gov.in
Justice Shyamal Kumar Sen
Chairperson
West Bengal Human Rights Commission
Bhabani Bhavan, Alipore, Calcutta-700027
Tel: +91 33 4797259 / 5558866
Fax: +91 33 4799633
Email: wbhrc@cal3.vsnl.net.in
Dear Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
We are deeply concerned and disturbed with the gruesome massacre of more than 14 peasants in Nandigram, West Bengal, India.
We strongly condemn this violation to the rights of the farming communities who are struggling for genuine food sovereignty.
This massacre was reportedly committed on 14 March by the 4,000-member police force under the "Operation Nandigram" which was formed to suppress the growing protest of the Nandigram farming communities who are fighting against the land acquisition for the proposed establishment of the US$ 4.2 billion mega-Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Moreover, hundreds of women, children and farmers were injured. Several women from the village were allegedly raped by police personal. Hundreds of people are still missing, and are feared to be dead.
This is the second instance of violence in Nandigram, the first being in January when six (6) people were killed by the police and goons by the ruling party. Aside from Nandigram, social unrests among peasants are also taking place in Singur in Hooghly another district in West Bengal where Tata Corporation, a giant Indian motor company, plans to build its plant with the support of the West Bengal government.
We condemn the fascist move by the state government to kill the dissent of the people and pressurise them to give-up their only source of livelihood which is land.
We strongly condemn the move by the government to suppress the people's struggle to control their land and agricultural resources.
We support the farming communities' struggle to attain genuine people's food sovereignty.
We demand the West Bengal government to:
- Stop the killings in Nandigram!
- Respect and uphold human rights, deliver justice and just compensation to the victims and families.
- Stop any forced and violent eviction and respect the communities' decision to keep their land and their demand for a community-led agricultural development plan.
- Immediately release the arrested peasants and withdraw the police cases against them.
- Punish the guilty police, government officials and other actors responsible for this massacre.
- Scrap SEZs in Nandrigam and other parts of the state.
- Constitute a judicial commission to make an immediate inquiry, with a sitting judge from the High Court/Supreme Court as its Chair.
If the state government fails to comply with the above demands, then the government of India must come forward to take appropriate steps to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people.
Signed:
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