The Hindu : National : Evictions in West Bengal a violation of rights: report

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Wednesday, Jun 06, 2007
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Evictions in West Bengal a violation of rights: report

Staff Reporter

Kolkata: The eviction of peasants in West Bengal's Singur and Nandigram areas amounts to a violation of human rights and democratic norms, according to the report of an international people's tribunal, released here on Tuesday.The tribunal, whose hearings were held here on January 31, 2007, was organised at the initiative of the Institute for Motivating Self-Employment (IMSE) and 25 other civil society organisations of India and abroad. The nine-member bench was headed by retired Justice P.D. Muley and it consisted of five other former judges as well as social activists.

The tribunal, which heard the victims and experts and examined documents, concluded that the acquisition proceedings at Singur were in violation of the fundamental rights of the peasants and labourers, including the rights to life and food security.

Stop evictions

The tribunal asked the State to stop eviction of farmers and end acquisition of agricultural land at Singur, Nandigram and other places and award compensation to the victims of police atrocities. It asked the Government to amend the Land Acquisition Act and implement agrarian reforms that would benefit women, Dalits and other landless workers.

While the directives of the tribunal were not enforceable, it was expected that the Government would treat them as public opinion and that the findings would be used for advocacy and lobbying in future, said Biplab Halim, executive director, IMSE.

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