Andhra Pradesh Forest Killings: A Drink Saved His Life, Says Witness Who Escaped

Andhra Pradesh Forest Killings: A Drink Saved His Life, Says Witness Who Escaped


It was liquor that saved him, said a witness, who claimed to be traveling with the men allegedly killed by the Andhra Pradesh police in the Seshachalam forest near Tirupati on April 7, 2015.

On April 6, Balachandran, a daily wage labourer said that he traveled with eight other men, including his father, from their village in Tamil Nadu to Pondicherry to find work on the invitation of a contractor.

While waiting for the bus to the town of Arcot, Balachandran went to get a drink at the government liquor shop with another man, who knew the contractor. The eight men from his village had left when they returned from the shop.

On reaching Nagari Puttur in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Balachandran said that his companion called the contractor to join the others, but they received a warning to turn back or risk being arrested. After reaching his village, he learned the contractor, his father, and other men from his village were taken into police custody.

They were killed in the forest.

Balachandran's story was narrated by Henri Tiphagne, who heads People's Watch, a Tamil Nadu-based human rights group, which is responsible for identifying three witnesses and bringing two of them to give their statements to the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi.

"It is the drink that saved his life,” Tiphagne said at a press conference on Monday in Delhi, where two witnesses were also present, but they declined from speaking to the media directly.

The Andhra Pradesh police claim they opened fire in self-defence against 20 red sandalwood smugglers, who attacked them with stones, sickles and firearms in the Seshachalam forests, but human rights activists say they carried out extrajudicial killings. So far, the Andhra Pradesh government has not complied with the Hyderabad High Court order to register a case for murder under Section 302. Last week, the Madras High Court ordered the preservation of the bodies of six men till April 17.

"It is seven days since these killings took place and there is no FIR,” said Tiphagne, accusing the AP police of “stage managed killings."



NHRC "binding" orders

On Monday, the National Human Rights Commission ordered an inquiry by a judicial magistrate into the killings, and it directed the Andhra Pradesh government to submit the names of all police personnel and forest officials in the STF by April 22.

"Ensure that all the weapons allegedly used by the STF and the deceased persons be placed in safe custody," the human rights body said in a statement. "Police register, log books, GD entries and any other documents relating to the incident shall not be destroyed, tampered with or weeded out during the pendency of the NHRC proceedings."


The NHRC called for the postmortem to be conducted in accordance with its 2013 guidelines, which includes videography, and it ordered police protection for the witnesses and their families. "These directions are binding,” said Vrinda Grover, a human rights lawyer, who is assisting People's Watch.

Tiphagne said that families in the village of Pudur Kollamedu are traumatised, especially since they haven’t been able to perform the last rites for the dead men following orders of the Madras High Court that their bodies be preserved. They are being held at the government hospital in the district of Tiruvannamalai. "That trauma of having their own relatives bodies still there, cremation not performed, is still hanging over their heads," he said. "They are very scared.”

"We believe there are more witnesses in the villages, maybe in Tamil Nadu, maybe elsewhere, and for the fear of their lives, they are refusing to speak of matters,” the human rights activist said.

"Dumped as dogs"

Another witness, Ilangovan, who was heading to find masonry work with his friend, told People's Watch that they were forced out of an auto by the police at Nagari Puttur. He claims that they were "dumped as dogs" into a lorry, carrying around 30 men, which traveled a short distance to the Rangers Office in Kezthirupathy, where the police took photos of the men. It was here that Ilangovan seized his chance to jump out of the truck and run into the forest.

He returned home to his village, Malakanvayoor in Tamil Nadu, the next day. His friend's body arrived in the night.

The NHRC has deputed an official to record the statement of Ilangovan, who could not come to Delhi because he does not have any identity card required for travel. People's Watch, which is continuing its fact-finding mission, will present its report to the human rights body at its next meeting on April 23 in Hyderabad.



Fake encounters


Human rights activist have railed against extrajudicial killings in India for decades. In December 2012, NHRC told the Supreme Court it had received 1,671 complaints of extrajudicial killings in the last five years,” according to the 2014 Human Rights Watch Report, which noted some steps initiated to address the problem.


In January 2012, the Supreme Court ordered an independent panel led by a retired judge to look into 22 alleged extrajudicial killings by police in Gujarat state between 2002 and 2006, the report said. In July 2013, the Supreme Court set up an independent panel led by a retired judge after groups from Manipur state filed a public interest petition seeking an investigation into 1,528 alleged extrajudicial executions between 1979 and 2012.

Grover rebuffed the AP government claim that its police personnel had acted in “self-defence.” "Who is going to decide that this was an encounter in self-defence where the force used against people alleged to have stones, axes, sickles is to fire bullets and shoot them in the face,” she said.

Meanwhile, the AP police reportedly arrested 63 red sandalwood smugglers from Tamil Nadu, allegedly belonging to the same group, in Nellore district on Monday.

Grover said whether the dead men were smugglers is not relevant. "Whether somebody is a smuggler or an alleged terrorist, or whatever heinous crime that we wish to imagine, the law of this country does not give authority to the police to kill that person,” she said.

Campus Rape: Sexism Is The Biggest Problem, Not Security

Campus Rape: Sexism Is The Biggest Problem, Not Security

The increase in crimes being committed against women on university campuses, ranging from sexual molestations to murder, is a cause for concern as more women are entering institutes of higher education. A particularly egregious form of this violence involves rape (which does not always involve rape of students) on campus property. And these crimes are vastly underreported either due to embarrassment, self-blame, threats or intimidation, which often takes the form of publishing compromising photos on the web.

This kind of violence on university campuses puts to rest the myth that rapes are only the result of poverty, illiteracy, migration or the breakdown of traditional families. The fact that educated young men are perpetrators of the most egregious forms of violence against their fellow students speaks to the fact that this "rape crisis" needs to be understood through a larger aperture. This in part, requires examining the attitudes that produce a climate on campus that can enables sexual violence and sexually abusive relationships. These include societal views that have been expressed by politicians, lawyers, and educationalists alike that women are the cause of rape -- either because of their dress, or because they use cell phones, or because they like to move outside or even within the campus at night, or because they drink. What does this say about those who espouse these views? Would they seriously rape or condone the rape of a woman who does not comply with their criteria of appropriate social, sexual and gendered behaviour?

"Adopting strict security measures and surveillance techniques have not been shown to have any impact on reducing campus rapes especially when many of these may go on for long periods of time under threats, fear or intimidation, amongst other reasons."

Such attitudes need to be challenged and changed in the classroom through non-sexist educational textbooks, and in the echelons of higher education on all campuses. India's growing global reputation for encouraging a "rapist culture"-- true or not, like it or not -- cannot be refuted either by hiding behind claims that this is a western conspiracy (which does not in any way exonerate the racist views that may inform such positions) or more problematic excuses that "her dress made me do it" or "biology made me do it" or that women simply lie. It is time for men in particular to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the current crisis. This responsibility includes holding colleagues, faculty members and students accountable for their behaviour as well as being accountable for their own conduct towards women faculty, administrative staff and students.




This also requires several changes at the institutional level. Unfortunately these invariably take the form of intensifying security measures, including installing surveillance cameras, security checks and imposing ridiculous curfews on young adults. Adopting strict security measures and surveillance techniques have not been shown to have any impact on reducing campus rapes especially when many of these may go on for long periods of time under threats, fear or intimidation, amongst other reasons. The problem is not lack of security, but institutional sexism and systemic gender discrimination.

A cursory overview of the place of women in higher education reveals some startling facts. For example, there are only 13 female vice chancellors in India, six of whom are at women-only institutions. While the number of women in the higher educational system actually surpasses men in law schools and at the undergraduate levels, this has not translated into women wielding power in the top levels of the institutional hierarchy.

"While some academic advisory boards have a token female member, the overall assumption is that men are just natural leaders and decision makers."

Even those schools that flaunt their gender credentials in terms of faculty appointments continue to have a miserable record with respect to appointment of women to senior posts and leadership positions. In short, a senior management boys club exists on most university campuses that remain closed and insular, and clearly send out the message that men basically just want to work with men. The appointment of women to senior positions, coupled with an environment that acknowledges their historical and contemporary intellectual contributions, can help to break the deeply negative attitudes towards women that pervade the university space.

Even university environments reflect the gender bias. Faculty lounges, corridors and auditoriums are plastered with photos of elderly academic men, often pictured shaking hands with elderly male politicians, suggesting that the country has never produced any serious female intellectuals of repute. And while some academic advisory boards have a token female member, the overall assumption is that men are just natural leaders and decision makers. These are the attitudes that produce systemic sexism and an environment in which women are less respected, less valued, and hence also rapeable. And when the administration is called upon to address this negativity or sexism, the responses range from protectionism (and hence infantilising women) to increased campus surveillance and security, which does absolutely nothing to advance women's rights or eradicate the sexism.

Universities need to take the lead in changing attitudes about women. And this starts with treating women who demand change not as "frightening", "intimidating" or lacking maternal qualities, but as dedicated, passionate and committed to ensuring that higher education is an affirmative experience for all students, rather than a terrifying experience for even one.

How to Empower Women and Girls Even More — With Technology

Social media and other digital tools are transforming the roles of women and girls across the world, policymakers, activists and tech leaders told the 2014 Social Good Summit on Sunday.

United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin, noted children's rights activist Graça Machel and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and administrator at the United Nations Development Programme, joined a panel called "Women Power. Empowered Women." Moderated by ABC News co-anchor Juju Chang, the discussion centered on the ways tech is informing, empowering and inspiring women and girls globally.

SEE ALSO: 5 Times the Internet Demanded Gender Equality

"Information is power," Calvin said. "And technology is the way to empower women."

The panelists discussed the ways technology is improving the lives of women and girls, and addressed action that still needs to be taken on a global scale.

"I think this conversation brings to the center the understanding of the value of our girls," Machel said. "A girl has the same value as a boy. And this means a huge change in the way families and communities look at girls.”

Calvin mentioned specific apps that are helping women around the world, including MAMA, a service developed in partnership with the U.N. that gives age-based information to pregnant and new mothers in Africa — letting them make informed decisions about their health.

"There is a huge gap in gender data," Calvin said. "If we don’t count [women], we can’t take care of them, make sure our policies are meeting their needs or find out if our efforts are working." "If we don’t count [women], we can’t take care of them, make sure our policies are meeting their needs or find out if our efforts are working."

As mobile phone use increases globally, Clark said, women still have far less access than men. She said changing this is "critical to [women's] economic empowerment and employment."

"The implications of this digital divide is also a services divide, and an information divide," she said. "And information is power, as we know."

For Machel, connecting communities has the power to change long-held ideas or traditions — the kind that lead to child marriage, which affects 15 million girls each year.

“Traditions are man-made,” she said. “These efforts have to go down to the community level. We have to change the mindset.”

A later panel also discussed the importance of connecting communities to change attitudes, and empower women and girls. Moderated by Asha Curran, director of the 92Y's Center for Innovation & Social Impact, "Inspiring Real World Action in the Women's Movement" underscored the work of recent social media campaigns to create discussion surrounding women's issues.

The panelists included Tribal Planet founder Jeff Martin, Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Tara Abrahams, the global policy advisor at Girl Rising. They discussed recent hashtag campaigns, like #YesAllWomen, that have brought women's issues to the forefront of public discourse.

“Social media is forcing traditional media to address these issues,” Martin said.

Above all, each panelist called for further action to support women and girls. "We need to mobilize," Mlambo said. "Gender discrimination is the most tolerated violation of rights on earth today. We cannot have an open-ended struggle as far as women are concerned — there has to be an expiration date."

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Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women by 2015

World Bank Group: Gender Equality Is Key to Achieving the MDGs

Empowering women and girls is not only the right thing to do: It’s also smart economics and vital to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity—the World Bank Group’s twin corporate goals. For example, an extra year of secondary schooling for girls can increase their future wages by 10 to 20%. And evidence shows that resources in the hands of women boost household spending in areas that benefit children. But despite a range of significant advances, too many women still lack basic freedoms and opportunities and face huge inequalities in the world of work. Discriminatory laws and customs constrain their time and choices, as well as their ability to own or inherit property, open bank accounts, or access inputs such as credit or fertilizer that would boost their productivity. The World Bank Group has made strong commitments on gender, highlighting in particular the need for better data. We have, further, mainstreamed gender throughout our work: All World Bank Group country strategies prepared in the 2014 fiscal year drew on gender assessments, while 95% of approved lending operations integrated gender in at least one dimension—analysis, action, and/or monitoring and evaluation. Gender equality is also a key priority for IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, which enabled more than 194 million pregnant women to receive prenatal care from a health provider between 2003 and 2013, among other results.


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