COMMITTEE FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS
185/3, FOURTH FLOOR, ZAKIR NAGAR, NEW DELHI—25
11/10/09
PRESS STATEMENT
Produce Maoist leaders Ravi Sharma and Anuradha
immediately before the court of law!
Ensure their right to a lawyer and to be immune from torture!
The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) as per the reports available from the press (The Telegraph, Jharkhand edition, Hindustan Patna edition) is concerned about the safety of the two allegedly arrested Maoist leaders Anuradha and Ravi Sharma. The press report states that the arrest of Mr. Ravi Sharma on 10/10/09 at Patna. There has been no news so far of the arrest of Ms. Anuradha who was picked up by the agencies from a house in Patna where she was staying. This has been corroborated by the local human rights organizations.
It is appalling that even after twenty four hours of the arrest the agencies/police have not produced the two before a court of law which is constitutionally guaranteed. The non-production of the detained Ms. Anuradha and Mr. Ravi Sharma has forced the CRPP to believe that there is every chance that their lives may be in danger. Besides, given the antecedents of the agencies the possibility of torture, coercion and intimidation are instruments indulged in by the agencies without impunity on the detained when s/he is in illegal custody.
In fact the manner in which Mr. Sharma was hooded and his hands tied, in a tinted glass vehicle amidst plain clothes men made the people near by Ichak village in Jharkhand suspect the plainclothes policemen as abductors. Had the villagers not intercepted the vehicle and stopped the abduction by the Andhra police at least temporarily even this news would have not got light. Instead the following day papers would have come out with a story of another encounter in which a dreaded Maoist got killed by the police who was firing in self-defense!
It is this unlawful conduct of the AP special police which makes the concern for the life of both the CPI (Maoist) leaders real and concrete. They should be immediately produced before the court of law.
We from the CRPP strongly demand that Mr. Ravi Sharma and Ms. Anuradha be given the lawyer of their choice so that they can resort to legal recourse for ensuring their right to be not tortured by the agencies so as to coerce them into any kind of confession.
In Solidarity,
Gurusharan Singh SAR Geelani
President Working President
Amit Bhattacharyya Rona Wilson
Secretary General Secretary Public Relations
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G N SAIBABA
