Appeal on Pathetic condition of an advocate in Varanasi due to Police torture

[PVCHR]

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=rNiivWoO-v8.


The post WHO indicator for human well being of Ratandeep Gupta is declining at faster pace in comparison to the pre monitoring and evaluation (M&E) questionnaire. Pus is continuously oozing out from his leg and doctor had advised for surgery to replace the metal rod implanted in his right leg. Ratandeep is unable to walk and had to stop practicing. His wife, Shikha working as a teacher in private school had to quit her job as she had to take care of her incapacitated husband. Ratandeep and his family had been pushed to abject penury.

Ratandeep Gupta needs immediate surgery but his precarious financial condition impedes that. The risk of right leg being amputated looms large, if the operation is not done immediately.

Here Ratandeep Gupta, a practicing lawyer in Varanasi narrates the horrifying tale of police brutalities unleashed upon him. Now he has been pushed to abject penury so we would appeal to contribute liberally so that Ratandeep Gupta could be operated immediately and he can stand on his feet.

RATANDEEP SUFFERS………
I am Ratandeep Gupta, 36 years old, son of Rajendra Kumar Gupta and resident of S 11/24, Choukaghat, police station- Jaitpura District-Varanasi. We are two brothers. My elder brother is Dr. Amardeep Gupta, who is medical practitioner and his clinic is adjoining our house at S 11/23, Choukaghat. I am lawyer by profession.
I was leading quite a normal life but on 28th December 2007 Municipal Corporation officials accompanied by police reached my brother’s clinic to demolish the encroachment. They did not issue any prior notice. They informed that my brother’s clinic would be demolished as encroachments are being cleared. My brother told them that my clinic is in authorised space and it does not fall within the purview of encroachment. Those who came to demolish my brother’s clinic asked us to come out of the clinic as they want to demolish it. My brother informed this to me in phone. I was in the court. When I reached there, the squad had demolished a portion of the clinic. We could not know that who had launched the demolition drive.
Next day, on 29th December 2007, I along with my brother were present in the clinic, then Municipal Corporation officials accompanied by city magistrate, police officials (Chetganj Circle Officer & Jaitpura Circle Officer) along with posse of policemen and anti-encroachment squad, started demolishing the remaining portion of the clinic at around 11 am. We showed them the legal documents of the house and the approved map of the locality. They shouted on us saying, ‘neither we want to see any papers nor listen to you’. Police officers instructed their subordinates to push both me and my brother to the standing jeep. When we were walking towards the jeep, 4-5 policemen and police officers surrounded both of us and started incessantly raining blows with lathis (long cane tipped with a metal blunt). One among the policemen had been indiscriminately raining lathi blows on one side of my leg, though his lathi had broken still he continued hammering on that side. Besides, kicked and thrashed continuously in a dehumanised manner. Due to incessant blows my right feet started dangling. Injuries were on my left arm, shoulder and different parts of my body. After indiscriminately beating us, they wanted us to board three-wheeler tempo. My brother could board it but I was not able to stand on my feet.
A policeman dragged me to the Vikram tempo and I was frightened seeing myself bleeding profusely. They took us to Jaitpura police station. I was feeling quite thirsty and it seemed as I would die instantaneously. I asked for a glass of water from policemen, and then they told that they would give me tea instead of water for quenching our thirst. Then I told at least to give us tea but they did not even give us. Police was continuously abusing us and used nauseating epithets to humiliate us. Police had also rained lathis, kicked and thrashed my brother also. But in that situation, I was writhing with pain and not in proper frame of mind.
After getting the information, my Bhabhi (elder brother’s wife) my wife reached the police station. Police abused then also and drove them away from the police station and didn’t allow them to meet us. Till 2.00 pm noon as I had lost lot of blood so I was unconscious and police sent me at Kabir Chaura Hospital. In the hospital, when I was conscious then I felt quite dejected. I was worried that now I won’t be able to stand on my own feet.
In the meantime, my wife came to meet me at the hospital. She generated confidence in me. I felt ashamed that women members of our family had to rush to the police station without any fault of theirs. As the Government hospital lacked the facilities, so I was operated by Dr. SN Dubey at Lakshmi Medical Centre. After the operation, I was discharged from the hospital I came back to my home. I was completely in bed rest for three months. During the operation, metal rod was implanted in my right leg. Still I suffer from excruciating pain. Again I was operated by Dr. Shakil Ahmed, who took the bone from my hip and grafted it onto my fibula. Still I suffer from excruciating pain and it’s difficult for me to walk.
Still, today when police brutalities unleashed on us comes in my mind then, I am quite despondent. The abusive language of CO Chetganj still echoes on my ears, who said, “Beat him continuously and break his leg and make him physically handicapped, so that his life is spoiled forever.” What I feel that if anyone is at fault then legal actions should be taken against them but not to be beaten mercilessly to turning them into physically incapacitated. Later we came to know that police had shown their anger suspecting us of stone pelting. Still now we could not know who indulged in pelting stones during the demolition drive. When police was beating us, we did not run away. Still that reverberates in my mind like a film. I am unable to forget it. Today whenever I see police officials I seethe with anger and express my hatred against them.
Police booked us under different sections of IPC and lodged criminal cases against us. We were granted bail by the Court. We were quite enraged by the fact that police, who unleashed unbound savagery on us, rather framed criminal case against us. Our family had to spend over Rs. 1 lakh on me and my brother’s treatment.
Criminal case and police brutalities on us had damaged lots of our credibility in the society. Financially we were pushed to shambles. My legal practice suffered a setback. I was so mentally afflicted, that whenever I try to stand on my feet, the excruciating pain makes the police brutalities in my mind. Coupled with that, society’s disdainful attitude makes our life horrible. The incident has so deeply affected us that we are hesitant enough to take any initiative. In our matter, police wanted to terrorise so that people dare to raise voice against the police.

While talking to you, it seems to us that there are people with whom we can share our pain. We are happy that some people are there to lend their helping hand to us. Lawyers and doctors associations extended their support to us. We want to regain our social prestige. We want that whatever false charges police had framed against us both of the brothers should be withdrawn.

--
Dr. Lenin
Ashoka Fellow
2007 Gwanju Human Rights Awardee
Convenor-PVCHR
Secretary-Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA)
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http://www.asiapeace.org/acha/board.htm
www.indiapakistanpeace.org
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My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can loose our battle.. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is battle for freedom. It is the battle of reclamation of human personality….
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." (Desmond Tutu)