Latest news with #People'sUnionforCivilLiberties
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Jenu Kuruba leaders refuse to call Nagarahole a tiger reserve
Mysuru: Jenu Kuruba tribal leaders from Karadikallu Atturu Kolli Haadi inside the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve in Ponnampet taluk of Kodagu district said on Monday that they will never call Nagarahole a tiger reserve. This is not a tiger reserve. It is just Nagarahole. We were forcibly moved out of our soil in the name of forest-tiger protection, Shivu JA, JK Timma, and Shivamma said. Speaking at a press meet organised by the Nagarahole Indigenous Land Assertion Committee, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), and Communities Network Against Protected Areas (CNAPA), they alleged that those who don't know anything about the forest are encroaching on the forests in the name of conservation. Shivu stated that all the 52 Jenu Kuruba families now staying in their ancestral land are happy with what is available inside the forest now. "For decades, we were made to struggle in the lane houses," he said. He alleged that forest department officials misused the provisions of the law to displace them. Timma recollected his experience with a tiger conservation project where he demonstrated his understanding of the forest. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Homens acima dos 40 anos estão comprando esse óculos militar Óculos Max Saiba Mais Undo "Unfortunately, those who don't know anything about the forest and wild animals are allowed to encroach on the forests while those who know the forest are sent out of the forests," he charged. He alleged that the tiger conservation projects resulted in the death of tigers. Shivamma urged govt agencies not to displace them as they are leading a real life in their own hamlets. Nitin Rai, an independent scholar who has looked at the socio-ecological impacts of wildlife conservation, and Pranab Doley, a community leader from the Mising community, Kaziranga, Assam, and convener of the Greater Kaziranga Land and Human Rights Committee, who is also the founding member of CNAPA, spoke during the press meet. Rai alleged that govt agencies are misusing the increase in the number of tigers to dilute the forest laws for the benefit of mining and other activities.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
PUCL alleges illegal deportation of Rohingya refugees, calls for urgent probe
The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has strongly condemned the alleged deportation of 40 Rohingya refugees from India, describing the reported action as 'illegal', 'inhumane', and tantamount to a 'duplicitous deportation' in violation of both domestic and international legal obligations. In a detailed statement issued this week, PUCL alleged that the refugees were forcibly removed from the national capital and transported to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, before being abandoned in international waters near the conflict-ridden Tanintharyi region along the Myanmar-Thailand maritime border. According to PUCL, the deportation was carried out surreptitiously by detaining the refugees - many of whom were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - under the pretext of collecting biometric data. Detained by the Delhi Police on May 6, the individuals were reportedly moved to various police stations before being shifted to the Inderlok Detention Centre. Although authorities initially claimed that the transfer was for biometric processing, the refugees were subsequently flown to Port Blair. 'Shockingly, 43 detainees were not released after biometric collection. Instead, they were blindfolded, handcuffed, and placed aboard naval vessels. Upon reaching the maritime border near Myanmar, they were thrown into international waters,' PUCL alleged. Among those deported were minors, elderly individuals, and persons with serious health conditions, including cancer. Kavita Srivastava, PUCL president, criticised the Narendra Modi-led government's approach to refugee policy, comparing it to the hardline immigration stance of the former Trump administration in the United States. 'The BJP seems to have adopted a paradigm of disregard for the rule of law and judicial oversight. This so-called 'pushback' policy, as espoused by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is a flagrant violation of constitutional norms and international humanitarian principles,' Ms. Srivastava said. An audio recording from one of the survivors, shared with PUCL, details alleged mistreatment aboard naval ships, including physical abuse, interrogation, and sexual harassment. 'We were accused of involvement in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. When we denied it, we were told we were pretending. Women were abused. Eventually, we were abandoned at sea,' the survivor recounts. PUCL general secretary Dr. V. Suresh noted that the National Unity Government of Myanmar has confirmed the presence of 40 rescued Rohingya individuals now under their protection. However, the whereabouts of three others remain unknown, and additional reports suggest that at least 14 more refugees were illegally detained and subjected to custodial violence. 'This is a grave breach of India's obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, ratified by India in 1959,' Dr. Suresh said. 'The Rohingya are among the most persecuted minorities in the world. Returning them to regions fraught with conflict and genocide allegations is morally indefensible.' PUCL also pointed to a May 8 Supreme Court hearing, during which the judiciary declined to intervene in a plea against the reported deportation. The Union government, in its response, reportedly claimed that Article 19(1)(e) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to reside in any part of India, applies only to citizens. PUCL countered this position, stating that Article 21 - the right to life and personal liberty - extends to 'all persons' and is not contingent upon citizenship. Despite India not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, PUCL asserted that deportation procedures are bound by the Foreigners Act and related legal frameworks. The organisation contended that the treatment of the refugees constitutes torture and violates India's commitments under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. 'The Indian government has effectively undermined due process and legal protections in a case involving one of the most vulnerable refugee groups in the world,' the PUCL statement concluded. 'This marks a disturbing moment in India's human rights history.' As per Refugees International, around 22,500 Rohingya refugees are currently registered with UNHCR India. Many live under precarious conditions, facing systemic violations of their rights.
Deccan Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Proposed Cauvery Aarti at KRS Dam faces opposition
Mysuru unit of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has criticised the Karnataka state government's proposal to hold 'Aarti' for the River Cauvery along with Mysuru Dasara, at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Focus on river pollution prevention not Cauvery Aarti: Forum
Mysuru: The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Mysuru unit, opposed the state govt's proposal to organise a Cauvery Aarti during the Dasara festival at an estimated cost of Rs 100 traditional Baagina offered to the Cauvery River whenever KRS fills to the brim, and the Threethotbava at Talacauvery, the birthplace of the Cauvery River in Kodagu district, are sufficient religious offerings, it said the Karnataka govt should stop imitating the Ganga Aarati, which it described as part of the BJP's political of the proposed Cauvery Aarathi, PUCL demanded that the state govt spend the amount and take concrete initiatives to prevent pollution of the river. Additionally, the pollution of its tributary, Lakshmanthreetha, due to the effluents from the tobacco industry of Hunsur and surrounding regions, is a long-standing matter of concern that the govt appears to be completely unmindful of, it said the govt should also focus its attention and finances on restoring the various lakes and other water bodies in the Cauvery basin.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
PUCL criticizes Cauvery Aarti, says money should be spent on reducing river pollution
The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Mysuru, has criticised the State government's proposal to organise a Cauvery Aarti at an estimated cost of nearly ₹100 crore and against the recommendations of the Department of Finance. The PUCL said in a release that the traditional 'Baagina' offered to the river whenever KRS fills to the brim, and the Threethotbava rites at Talacauvery are enough religious offerings to the river. In a release, Kamal Gopinath, president of PUCL, and V. Purushotam, vice-president, said instead of the proposed Cauvery Aarti, the same amont can be spent to take concrete initiatives to reduce the pollution in the river. The river is polluted by chemicals from fertilizers flowing into the river from the coffee and other estates of Kodagu, and from agricultural and industrial pollutants as also effluents flowingin to the river all along its route to Mysuru. The amount stipulated for Cauvery Aarti can as well be spent on reducing the river pollution, said the PUCL. It said the State government should also focus on the restoration of natural rainwater flows into the river all along its route, by curbing the unabated real estate developments which are cutting off and impinging on such flows. This apart, the pollution and wasting of its tributary, Lakshmanthreetha, owing to the affluents from the tobacco industry of Hunsur and surrounding regions is a long-pending matter of concern which the State government appears to be completely unmindful about, said the PUCL. The government should also lend its focus and finances to restoring the various lakes and other water bodies in the Cauvery basin which are under threat, it added.
