‘In UP, complete collapse of rule of law’: What a people’s tribunal said it has found in the state
‘The very state administration that is charged with protecting the rule of law is perpetrating violence upon its own people.’
Several cases of police brutality were reported from Uttar Pradesh after the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens. At least 18 people were reported to have been killed in UP as of December 27, 2019. A people’s tribunal formed to “investigate the truth of the matter” has concluded that there was a “complete collapse of rule of law” in the state.
According to the statement released by the tribunal, it is “convinced that the entire state machinery, led from the top, acted with grave prejudice and perpetrated violence targeting one particular community, the state’s Muslim population, and the social activists leading the movement.”
The testimonies placed before the tribunal jury included those from field workers, lawyers, human rights defenders, civil society activists, doctors, and eyewitness accounts. Videos of the victims were also taken into consideration.
The Karwan-e-Mohabbat collective has released a series of videos that put forth the travails of UP residents affected by the police action in the state.
The jury of the tribunal “found and concluded that the UP police has been guilty of inflicting enormous violence targeting the Muslim community, peaceful protestors, and not even sparing those were not involved in the protest” (video above).
Uttar Pradesh also reportedly saw cases of medical negligence during the CAA protests in December 2019. Many eyewitnesses alleged that emergency medical care was denied, even to seriously injured victims, by some hospital authorities and medical officers.
Along with the videos featuring those affected by the violence inflicted upon them by the UP Police, the collective has also released a video where recent hate speeches of leaders of BJP leaders have been compiled.