Massive Lathicharge to Forcibly Disperse the Rally,

Injuries to Thousands and Severe Beating

& Arrest of Leaders

In the brutal, barbaric and fascistic suppression of the right to protest, Delhi police, acting on the instruction of BJP led Govt. at the Centre, lathicharged and tear-gassed a peaceful gathering on Ramlila Ground on May 10th, 2002. In an unprecedented show of barbarity, police beat up the peacefully sitting people in an attempt to forcibly disperse the Rally and targeted the organizers of the meeting for severe beating causing serious injuries to them. Women and children were not spared. Lathis were rained with all exit gates of Ramlila Maidan locked up. Women were separated from their children. Later opening only a small side gate, police deliberately created a stampede in which a large number of people were injured in addition to those injured in the brutal police lathicharge. Police chased the people upto Railway Station. Of the thousands of the people waiting at the Railway Station, there was hardly anybody who had not sustained lathi blows.

After the police action, Ramlila Ground was splattered with the belongings of the poor people who had come to participate in the Rally. Ramlila Ground bore witness to this fascistic attempt to deny the people right of expression. Police swore that they wanted to teach a lesson to the rallyists and in the process they made a mockery of the democratic rights pedalled by the protagonists and apologists of the present decadent and anti-people system.

The Rally at Ramlila Ground was organized by Forum Against Imperialist Globalization (FAIG) which was formed last year on October 13 by a number of mass organizations. FAIG had called for this rally to demand that India Quit WTO, Withdrawal of POTA, dismissal of Narendra Modi Govt. in Gujarat and punishment of guilty of the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat.

Over fifteen thousand people had assembled from different parts of the country. They had come from Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Mass meeting in Ramlila Maidan started at 11 am. Pravin Nadkar (IFTU), Arjun Prasad Singh (AIPRF) and Chandranna (AIFTU) constituted the Presidium while the three Convenors- V. Venkataramaiah (AIKMS), G.N.Saibaba (AIPRF) and Savithri (PMS, Maharashtra) sat on the dais along with the presidium.

Com. Aparna, President of Delhi State Committee of IFTU and Member, All India Coordination Committee of FAIG, introduced the subject of the meeting and invited the speakers to the dais. One member of every organization in the All India Forum’s Committee was also called on the dais.

Besides the three Convenors, a number of other leaders also addressed. These included Com. Paltu Sen, All India President of Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), Com. Hardev Singh Sandhu, Vice-president, AIKMS, B. Pradeep (Forum against Globalization, Hyderabad), Pishora Singh of BKU (Ekta), Punjab, a leader of BKU Haryana, Anoop Singh, General Secretary, Chhatisgarh Mukti Morcha, Naveen Prasad of MKSP Bihar, P. P. Arya of Lok Adhikar Sangathan (KLAS) Uttarakhand, G.R. Ambedkar of DAFODAM, AP, K. Parvathalu of DSRC, AP, Ajitan, BAV, Kerala, Makhabhai Chowdhary of Gujarat Shramik Sangathan.  Beside these speakers, a speaker from an intellectuals’ organization in Nepal, Prof. Jagat Singh, also addressed the gathering.

Speakers highlighted the danger posed to the people and the country by implementation of anti-national and anti-people policies of WTO agreement. They condemned the Central Govt. for enacting POTA for crushing the people’s struggles of different sections. Speakers also condemned the planned genocide of Muslims in Gujarat by BJP-RSS and members of Hindutva gang. Speakers stressed on the unity of all struggling sections to beat back the offensive of the Govt. against the people’s struggles.

A number of revolutionary cultural teams enlivened the proceedings of the meeting.

After the speeches, Com. Ashish Mital (AIKMS) read out the memorandum to be submitted to the President which was approved by the mass meeting. The mass meeting also passed a resolution condemning the arrests of BKU activists in Haryana.

Police Swings into action

At the end of the meeting, organizers proceeded to take out a procession to Parliament street to submit a memorandum to the President on the demands of the Rally. Though the information of the procession was given well in advance, the police refused to allow the procession. It was an example of arbitrariness and discriminatory attitude of the Govt. not to permit this rally while allowing several others to be taken out on this route. ACP and Additional DCP present on the occasion announced that the whole rally has been detained within the premises of Ramlila Maidan. The gates of Ramlila Ground were closed from all sides except the eastern side where a large contingent of police in riot gear was stationed. Police manned all other gates.

While the leaders came back into tent for consultations, announcement on the mike started and most of the participants settled themselves in the tents and rest were coming back, a large number of policemen led by Additional DCP Satish Golcha entered the Ramlila Ground. They started indiscriminate and heavy lathicharge on the people sitting in the tent. Police targeted the women and children. They drove the women into corners and threw them onto ground mercilessly beating them.  The police continued to beat the people and drove them upto railway station.

Police first targeted the leaders who were in the front and opposed the police action against the people. Addl. DCP, Mr. Satish Golcha himself instructed the beating of the leaders like Coms. V. Venkataramaiah, Paltu Sen, Aparna, Mrigank, Poonam and others. He pointed out these leaders and using abusive and filthy language asked policemen to beat them up soundly. Coms. V. Venkataramaiah and Paltu Sen were thrown to the ground with policemen hitting them with lathis. Com. Aparna who was at the mike was struck with lathis on the hand to stop the mike. She sustained double fracture in her right hand due to lathi blows. A list of injured whose medical record could be procured is also being given at the end. Besides them a large number of other leaders too sustained serious injuries.

Police rounded up a number of leaders from the venue. All this was done to foist false cases to ‘justify’ unprovoked and barbaric lathicharge. Names of leaders and cadres who were arrested and the organizations they belonged to are being given in this report. Police later foisted false cases against these leaders.

Police action against the Rallyists showed the utter intolerance of protest by BJP Govt., particularly protests by the revolutionary organizations.  This police action in the heart of the capital showed the truth of democratic rights in the broad daylight. The way the police action was executed and the leaders targeted it was clear that police action was planned in advance. Police deliberately refused permission to take out the procession while it is routine for the processions to march from Ramlila Ground to Parliament Street and then police stormed into Ramlila Ground for which they themselves had granted the permission and where people were sitting peacefully.

Showing utter disregard for the law and rules, male policemen were used to lathicharge and beat the women rallyists. And all this was done at the instance of the senior officers. A small number of women police came to the scene after the lathicharge.

FAIG Submits memorandum to President, NHRC

After the release of FAIG leaders arrested on May 10th, a delegation of FAIG submitted a memorandum to the President on May 13th 2002 enlisting the demands of the Rally i.e. India Quit WTO, Withdrawal of POTA, Dismissal of Narendra Modi Govt. and punishment to the culprits of genocide of Muslims in Gujarat. 

FAIG leaders on 13th May 2002 also met the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Justice J. S. Verma and submitted a memorandum to him detailing the police brutalities at the Rallyists on May 10, 2002 at Ramlila Ground. Along with the memorandum, available MLCs of the injured were also submitted. He directed the police to submit a report within a week.

FAIG Call for Countywide Protests

Immediately after the barbaric suppression of May 10th Rally, protests were held at many places in the country. On May 11th, IFTU organized a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar which was addressed by leaders of FAIG. A demonstration was held at Hyderabad on 12th May by IFTU. A joint demonstration was held at Kolkata soon after.  A number of such programmes were organized at the district levels in Bihar, AP and other states.

Against the police brutalities on rallyists and in support of the demands of the rally, FAIG had called for protests at all district headquarters and state capitals on May 28, 2002. In response to this call, demonstrations and dharna were held at district and state capitals where memoranda addressed to the President were submitted.

List of the Persons Arrested

V. Venkataramiah                     AIKMS           G. Diwakar                              AIKMS

Gurcharan  Singh                      AIKMS           Nayab Singh                             AIKMS         

Arban Kumar                           AIKMS           Paltu Sen                                  IFTU

Dr. Aparna                               IFTU                Dr. Vikas Vajpayee                  IFTU

Dr. Mrigank                             NBS                Kala Das                                 CMM              

Vishal Adhikari                         AINUS            Ram  Singh                               AINUS

Vishnu  Prasad                         AINUS            Abhishek Rai                            KLAS              

Ramji Singh                              KLAS              Kundan Singh                           MKSS 

Amarjeet                                  PRSU              Pravardan Singh                       Not known

List of some of those injured whose documentation was available:-

1.         V. Venkatramaiah- MLC record with police.

2.         G. Diwakar - Torn ear. MLC record with police.

3.         Paltu Sen - MLC record with police.

4.         Dr. Aparna- Fractures in right hand. MLC record with police

5.         G.N. Saibaba- Record with Hospital

5.         Dr. Mrigank- MLC record with police.

6.         Dr. Vikas- MLC record with police.

7.         Kala Das -MLC record with police.

8.         Ramji Singh- MLC record with police.

9.         Mahindra Pal- Admitted in Ward 5, Bed No. 4, LNJP Hosp.

10.       Ramji Singh- MLC record with police

11.       Medical records of all others who were arrested are with the police.

12.       Shankar Dayal-Medical record from DDU Hosp.

FAIG MEMORANDUM TO NHRC

(We are publishing here the memorandum submitted by FAIG to the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on May 13, 2002.  The memorandum was signed by the three all India Convenors of FAIG. -Editor)

To

The Chairperson

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi

Sub:     Brutal police assault on peaceful demonstrators in police custody by Delhi Police on 10th May, 2002 in Ramlila Maidan

            Sir,

            This is to bring to the kind attention of the Commission the gruesome incident that took place on the 10th of May, 2002 in Delhi, which warrants immediate redressal from the Commission taking cognizance of the magnitude of the crime of brutal physical assault committed by Delhi Police against peaceful demonstrators already taken into police custody.

            The brief facts are as follows;-

1.         The Forum Against Imperialist Globalization (FAIG), a common platform of various democratic organizations of workers, peasants, women, students, youth, dalits, adivasis and other sections of common people, had planned to hold a public meeting at RamLila Maidan, New Delhi on 10th May, 2002 and from there march upto Parliament Street to submit a memorandum to the President of India to highlight the peoples demands which included the demands that - Indian Govt. should quit WTO, the undemocratic POTA law should be scrapped, and those guilty of genocide of minorities in Gujarat be punished.

2.         Information of the aforesaid programme had been given well in advance to the police. As scheduled on 10th May, from around 10.00 a.m. the public meeting was conducted at Ram Lila Maidan where a large tent had been put up for the purpose. Around 20,000 participants had come from different parts of the country to attend the programme. The meeting was addressed by national leaders of the various constituent organizations of FAIG. A cultural programme was also held. At 4.00 p.m. the public meeting ended. The memorandum to be submitted to the President was read out from the dais and the participants were instructed to form into a procession of two rows. The procession then proceeded towards the eastern gate of the Ram Lila Maidan. There we found that the police had placed water cannons and barricades and they refused to allow the procession to proceed. For around half an hour discussions were held between the convenors of FAIG and senior police officials present. Finally the police officers, specifically Shri B.K.Singh, Asst. Commissioner of Police, on the instructions of Addl.D.C.P., Shri Satish Golcha, made a public announcement with a megaphone that you all 15,000 persons are now in police custody and are detained in this Ram Lila Maidan itself. The Police closed all the exit gates of the Ram Lila Maidan. The leaders of FAIG consequently turned the procession back and all the processionists were directed by them to sit inside the tent of the venue of the public meeting. After most of the participants had returned inside the tent, the leaders began explaining over the Public Address System to the participants that they were now in police custody and were to remain where they were. A cultural programme would be held until the police made up their mind as to when we would be permitted to leave the premises and catch our trains, etc.

3.         While the leaders were thus explaining to the participants, peacefully gathered in the tent, suddenly a huge contingent of police barged into the Ram Lila Maidan from the Eastern gate and ran straight to the tent and launched a barbaric assault on the participants, most of whom were then seated. They brutally lathi-charged the participants, driving them out of the tent into the field. But since all the exits of the Maidan were blocked by the police, the people had no place even to run to save themselves from the lathi-charge. Later a narrow gate on the western side of the Maidan was opened and the people were driven there with lathis, creating a stampede causing many further injuries. The police continued to beat and chase the fleeing people right upto the New Delhi/Delhi railway stations.

4.         The leaders of FAIG and its constituent organizations who had tried to question the ongoing police brutality were specifically targeted, mercilessly beaten and taken to the Kamla Market police station and false criminal cases were foisted on them. These included- V. Venkatramaiah, a national convenor of FAIG ( and Gen. Secy. of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha-AIKMS), Paltu Sen, National President of Indian Federation of Trade unions (IFTU), Dr. Aparna, Delhi state president of IFTU,  Dr. Vikas, Delhi State Gen. Secy. of IFTU, Dr. Mrigank, Delhi Convenor of FAIG (and President of Naujawan Bharat Sabha-NBS, Delhi), G. Diwakar, National Treasurer of AIKMS, Kala Das, leader of Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Ramji Singh, leader of Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sangathan (KLAS). Paltu Sen and V. Venkatramaiah were thrown to the ground, surrounded by policemen and mercilessly systematically beaten. In addition, the police picked up some activists and common participants at random and arrested them. The police in their blind brutality even arrested four young boys who were minors and only released them late at night. A total of 18 persons were arrested finally. While beating the leaders, the police did not even spare the physically challenged, the aged and infirm also. G.N. Saibaba one of the national convenors of the FAIG (and Gen. Secy. of  AIPRF) who is confined to a wheelchair was also assaulted by the police and released only at night. Similarly H. S. Sandhu, Vice-president of AIKMS, an old age cardiac patient, was mercilessly beaten.

5.         The extent of the police brutality against the defenceless people trapped in the confines of Ramlila Maidan was so serious that over two thousand people have been injured including fractures and head injuries. Having fled helter-skelter and many having returned to their hometowns and villages and getting medical attention at many places, the detailed list of the injured has not so far been compiled. However, the cruelty of police can be gauged even from one example- that of Shri Mahendra Pal still admitted in Ward No.5, Bed No.4 of L.N.J.P. Hospital with multiple fractures. The suddenness, unprovoked nature and brutality of the police assault can also be judged from the fact that the bags, slippers, money and other personal belongings of the participants were scattered about in thousands inside and outside the tent and could not be recovered by the people.

6.         Women formed a significant section of the participants, many with small children. They were present all through the day but the police had not brought women police personnel. In the lathi-charge the male policemen could be seen taking sadistic pleasure in beating women, deliberately driving them into corners against the barbed wire and repeatedly creating a stampede.

7.         As a majority of participants were from far flung areas of the country, many not knowing Hindi, quite a few mainly women and children have got lost. Some were traced with the help of local residents of the area but a few have yet not been traced and we fear the worst for them.

Sir, it is clear that the police action was a planned, deliberate, brutal assault on peaceful, defenceless people already in their custody in the Ram Laila Maidan who were barricaded and confined from all sides. Leaders of democratic organizations have been deliberately targeted. The dignity of women has been grossly violated and even children have not been spared. It is an instance of brutal violation of human rights by the custodians of law.

We request you to kindly intervene urgently and take cognizance of the matter and initiate a high level inquiry to affix responsibility of the guilty police officials and ensure their punishment as well as withdrawal of the false criminal cases made  and any other relief the Commission sees fit.

Yours sincerely,

(V.Venkatramaiah)       (G.N.Saibaba) (Savithri)

All-India Convenors of Forum Against Imperialist Globalization (FAIG)