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The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF demands resignation of Home Minister for ‘defending police torture' of Tenali youths
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has criticised Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha for her reported statement defending the action of Tenali police in which three youths, accused of manhandling a constable, were thrashed in full public view. 'The incident, a video clip of which went viral on social media, is a stark display of police impunity,' HRF State general secretary Y. Rajesh and AP&TG Coordination committee member V.S. Krishna said in a statement on Wednesday. 'The reported statement of the Home Minister justifying the police action is an alarming breach of Constitutional responsibility by a person tasked with upholding the law,' they said. Instead of fixing accountability, the Home Minister has 'emboldened a culture of impunity within the police force', the HRD said and demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government initiate an independent and time-bound inquiry into the episode. 'If her (Home Minister's) statement is true, remove her from office. Her endorsement of such excesses not only undermines the Rule of Law but also amounts to a breach of the Constitutional oath,' they said. 'By openly siding with the erring police personnel, the Home Minister has not only abdicated her responsibility as a public servant but also undermined the legal order. Equally troubling is the silence of the Director General of Police over the brazen abuse of power by the Tenali police,' they said. Further, the Home Minister's alleged 'casual dismissal of the caste identities of two of the Dalit victims of police brutality' by saying 'a wrongdoer has no caste or religion' trivialises the systemic nature of caste-based violence, they said. Since the formation of Andhra Pradesh, 'no Home Minister has defended the police torture so openly and unapologetically,' they alleged.
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tenali police draw flak for beating accused in public; HRF seeks judicial probe, Jagan slams rights abuse
GUNTUR: A viral video showing police personnel publicly thrashing three young men, accused in several cases, in Tenali has sparked outrage, prompting the Human Rights Forum (HRF) to demand a judicial inquiry. The video, circulated on May 26, shows Tenali II Town police beating the accused in full public view, an act the HRF called degrading and unconstitutional. The incident relates to a case registered on April 25 following a complaint by Constable Kanna Chiranjeevi. The constable alleged that four men: Vemu Naveen alias Killer, John Victor, Doma Rakesh, and Shaik Karimulla attacked him the previous night near Ithanagar, reportedly due to prior enmity and his role in summoning them for counselling in a drug-related case. Police said the accused, armed with a knife, attempted to kill the constable, who escaped. The case was registered under multiple sections of the BNSS. Naveen remains absconding; the others were arrested on April 26 and are in judicial custody. Police also said Naveen, Victor, and Rakesh have multiple criminal cases and rowdy sheets against them. HRF condemned the police's public thrashing, stating that regardless of the charges, law enforcement must follow due process. It demanding action against the officers involved under relevant laws. Meanwhile, the police are investigating the source of the leaked video. Responding to the incident on X, YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy condemned the brutal assault of Dalit and minority youth by Tenali police. Jagan accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led government of violating human rights and fostering police impunity.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HRF condemns Tenali Police for public beating of accused youth
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has strongly condemned the Tenali police for publicly assaulting three young men accused of attacking a police constable, calling the incident a gross violation of constitutional rights and the rule of law. In a press release on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), HRF Andhra Pradesh State vice-president G. Siva Nageswara Rao, general secretary Y. Rajesh, and secretary G. Rohith, demanded an immediate inquiry into the incident and strict action against the police personnel involved under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNSS) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A video that surfaced on May 26, 2025, shows two police officers thrashing the youth in public, an act allegedly committed on April 25. According to the HRF, 'Three youth — Vemu Naveen (absconding), Ch. John Victor, Karimulla, and Rakesh — were booked for assaulting a police constable, after a complaint by constable Kanna Chiranjeevi, who allegedly was assaulted by the youth on April 24 over past enmity.' While the accused reportedly have prior criminal cases and were allegedly involved in ganja-related activities, HRF emphasized that no crime warrants public punishment. 'The police must act within the law, not above it. Publicly beating accused persons is an affront to human dignity and justice,' the statement said. Reacting to the development, Guntur District Superintendent of Police S. Satish Kumar told The Hindu that he ordered a detailed inquiry into these allegations and a suitable action will be taken on the persons responsible.
Ya Biladi
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Migration and culture at the heart of Gnaoua Festival's 12th Human Rights Forum
The Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival will organize the 12th edition of its Human Rights Forum on June 20-21, 2025, focusing on «Human Mobilities and Cultural Dynamics». The two-day event, held in partnership with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), will bring together intellectuals, artists, and researchers to examine migration narratives and their cultural impact. Professor Andrea Rea from the Free University of Brussels will deliver the opening lecture on new mobility geographies. Historian Pascal Blanchard will analyze social representations of migration, while political scientist Fatima Zibouh and digital sociology researcher Dana Diminescu will explore tensions between migration narratives and public policies. The forum will feature prominent artistic voices, including filmmakers Faouzi Bensaïdi and Elia Suleiman, writer Véronique Tadjo, and artist Barthélémy Toguo. Literary contributors include authors Elgas, Rim Najmi, Taha Adnan, and Abdelkader Benali. According to festival producer Neila Tazi, the forum extends the festival's mission by exploring how ideas circulate like musical rhythms. CCME president Driss El Yazami emphasized the forum's role in highlighting migration's creative contributions against narratives of closure.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- The Hindu
Human Rights Forum urges Andhra Pradesh Government to compensate deceased farmer
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) and BC Welfare Association (BCWA) have called upon the State Government to implement G.O. (MS) No.43 that provides financial assistance of ₹7,00,000 to the family of Balleda Narasimha Murthy (58), a farmer of Peddhakhojiria village in Kanchili mandal in the Uddhanam region of Srikakulam district. Narasimha Murthy ended his life on April 9, 2025, as pressure mounted on him to repay the debts he incurred because of successive crop failure. A six-member HRF-RSV and BCWA team visited Peddhakojiria in Kanchili mandal recently and interacted with Ms. Neelaveni, wife of the deceased farmer, and their son Praveen. The team also interacted with local farmers and residents of Makarampuram village about the ongoing agrarian crisis in the Uddhanam region. According to HRF, Narasimha Murthy cultivated cashew and coconut on an acre of his own land and leased an additional eight acres. He paid the lease amount in advance. The HRF said 'Narasimha Murthy was denied adequate institutional credit, forced to borrow from private sources at high interest rates to cover farm-related expenses.' 'With several years of scanty rainfall coupled with his coconut crop being ravaged by pest, he was pushed into deep debt. He was under regular and persistent pressure from money-lenders demanding repayment. Driven to utter despair, he ended his life on April 9,' the HRF said. The HRF alleged that, though more than five weeks have passed since Narasimha Murthy passed away, the three-member divisional verification committee headed by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) has not visited Peddha khojiria to conduct an inquiry. 'The G.O. 43 mandates that the RDO-led committee visit the village, elicit relevant details and forward proposal to the Collector within a week of the death. In effect, the family has received no assistance, financial or otherwise, from the government. This manner of negligence defeats the very purpose of G.O. 43,' the HRF said. 'Over the past year, there have been five deaths (of farmers) in the North Andhra districts, including that of Narasimha Murthy. However, not a single family has been rendered assistance under G.O 43,' the HRF said. The HRF demanded that the three-member divisional level committee visit Peddha khojiria at the earliest, conduct a proper inquiry and ensure justice to Narasimha Murthy's family as laid out in G.O. 43. The fact-finding team that visited Narasimha Murthy's family include RSV State co-convenor, K.V. Jagannadha Rao, HRF State president K. Anuradha, HRF Publications editor, K. Venkat Rao, HRF Srikakulam district Executive Committee (EC) member. V.S. Krishna, HRF Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Coordination Committee member and B. Dhilli Rao, BCWA State general secretary. (People battling suicidal thoughts can seek assistance for counselling by dialling number 100.)
