Dalit Children Majority Victims in Nithari Killings -- (Press Release)
Tanveer Kazi
Press Release
Dalit Children Majority Victims
A Fact Finding Team of Human Rights Defenders and Social Activists from various organizations was formed with a mandate to Investigate into the reports of Nithari serial Killings of Children, carried in several news papers and electronic Media and to find out the extent of truth behind the reports. Fact Finding Team visited Nithari Village, Noida on 15th January 2007 and met the Parents of the Victims-children, Local leaders and officials. The FF team found that 15 out of 17 killed, officially accepted by police.
The Committee found that both the accused, particularly Surender Koli being local of the area was well aware of the caste background of the locals that most of them are Dalits and they suffer for hand to mouth. Taking advantage of this vulnerable factor , he used to bring the children alluring them with some toffee, food or other attractions including job for the adolescents which Prima-Facie proved now. It is known through Media, Police Officials of P.S- Sector-20 and Locals that during the last 2 years, 38 children were reportedly missing and majority of them belong to SC/ST Community of other States and most of them have gone back to their States loosing their Children in Noida. Even now the case for only 17 Children's are made out and the rest are still to be traced.
None of the authorities including the Police Officials and District Magistrate and City Magistrate seem to have taken action any action to register a Case and Investigate the same, when the missing of the children was reported to them. Months after One Mr. Nand Lal,s daughter Payal went missing on 08.02.05, National Commission for Women raised this issue and its one-member inquiry committee submitted its report with the finding that half a dozen girls had gone missing over two months. Families were aggrieved that in many cases not even an FIR was registered. The police did not take any action and then nothing happened. NCW sent a reminder in November 2005, too, but there was no response from Police officials.
The police began by digging out the skulls using primitive equipments; this has resulted in destroying crucial evidence that are vital for establishing this case. Prime accused Satish alias Surinder was termed mentally unstable by the police even before it was medically proved or confirmed. What is the motive for doing so? (we need to explain the motive or possible motive) . The FF team further questioned as to why no medical tests were done to prove whether sexual assault was there. In fact there were no full-fledged bodies, only skeletal remains and body pieces that were recovered from the drain.
Nithari residents are aggrieved not only by the accused but also by the lax approach of the Police and the General Administration. Had the Police took appropriate and immediate action as soon as they get the complaints from the parents on the missing of children with close intervals, this type of large killings could have stopped and the lives of many children would have been saved. Mr. Kamal Yadav, the S.H.O under whose stint children's were reportedly missing was spared from action for his lapse in this whole episode. In total 17 Parents of the victims have been given a Compensation of Rs.5 Lakhs / a Plot of Land /Employment – which is paltry to the tune of the loss that they faced.
- The government should declare that whole incident is a clear case of an Atrocity against Dalits.
- National Human Rights Commission, which is mandated for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, should strongly condemn this gross and inhuman violation committed by the perpetrators, Police and Administration and initiate its own investigation in the region to bring the Accused and the Officials to the books.
- The Prime accused Moninder Singh and Surender Koli should also be booked under Section 3(1) (xii) and 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST (POA) ACT 1989 as they were having the prior knowledge of the caste of the victims i.e, they are Dalits.
- A through inquiry is to be set up to find out the possibilities of whether there is any Organ Trade as well as Children Trafficking is flourishing. If found out, then the persons involved in the Organ Trade should be immediately arrested and booked under law.
- Ratify the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women which provides for individual petitions and for inquiries into systematic violations of the Convention, affording an international remedy for women who have suffered human rights abuses
- Ratify the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment which it signed in 1997
- The Office of the High Commission of Human Rights should request the Special rapporteur of Racism to conduct an in-depth study on the issue of violence against Dalit children and Dalit women in India .Such a study should examine the causes, extent and effects of violence against children, and initiate t a clear action plan for eliminating violence against Dalits .
The Fact-Finding Team included the following members:
Ms. Annie Namala, Convener, SG4CADE
Ms. Shyamkali, Secretary, NFIW, Delhi
Mr. Jagdish Solanki, Advocate, HRLN, Delhi
Mr. Islamul Haque, Coordinator, Media, NAFRE, Delhi
Mr. Kishor Kumar, Srishti, Delhi
Mr. Sunil, Prgromm Associate, IIDS, Delhi.,
Mr. Rambabu Kumar, State Secretary, NCDHR Bihar ,
Mr. Amit Kumar, National Monitoring Associate, NCDHR, Delhi,
Ms. Abirami, National Monitoring Associate, NCDHR, Delhi,
Mr. Rahul Singh, Advocate, Delhi High Court, Delhi,
Mr. Tanveer Kazi, National Advocacy Secretary, NCDHR, Delhi,
Mr. Sanjeev, Co-ordinator, Delhi Chapter, NCDHR, Delhi, ,
Ms. Urmila, National Monitoring Secretary, NCDHR, Delhi
Mr. J. Vincent, General Secretary, NCDHR, Delhi
We Demand immediate Interventions and Render Justice!
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Mr. Tanveer Kazi
National Advocacy Secretary
National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights
8/1,2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar
NEW DELHI-110008 ( INDIA)
Ph/ Fax:- 91-11-25842249/ 25842250
Mobile:- 09350183804 09818933034
Email:- tan...@ncdhr.org
tan...@gmail.com
Website:- www.dalits.org