IND 004 / 1024 / OBS 042
Intimidation / Harassment
India
October 23, 2024
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in India.
Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed about the acts of intimidation and harassment against Mr. Babloo Loitongbam. Babloo Loitongbam is a prominent human rights defender and lawyer from Manipur State, India. He is the director of Human Rights Alert, an organisation dedicated to monitoring, investigating, and reporting human rights violations, including attacks on human rights defenders. He is particularly committed to defending local communities in Manipur and across other north-eastern states of India, outspokenly criticising state policies that discriminate against them.
On September 22, 2024, the Meitei Leepun (ML), a vigilante group claiming to be representing the interests of the Meitei community in Manipur, held a press conference during which they reportedly accused Babloo Loitongbam of ongoing collaboration with Kuki armed militant groups and of acting against the interests of the Meitei people, including by filing a case against them to the Supreme Court. However, the ML did not specify which case they were referring to, and Babloo Loitongbam is not connected to any case before the Supreme Court related to the ongoing conflict. During this press conference, the ML also warned the public against working with him. Babloo Loitongbam later issued a detailed letter to refute the ML’s accusations.
On September 23, 2024, following the ML’s press conference, approximately 50 individuals, identifying themselves as ML members, went to Babloo Loitongbam’s house in Kwakeithel Thiyam Leikai, Imphal West District, Manipur State, and verbally threatened him and his family. The group warned that severe consequences would follow if Babloo Loitongbam was to appear in public. A police team went to Mr Loitongbam’s house the same day and, on September 24, 2024, his wife filed a complaint to the Superintendent of Police of Imphal West.
The Observatory recalls that on October 5, 2023, Babloo Loitongbam’s house was attacked by approximately 30 unidentified individuals, who vandalised his property. He was not in his house at the time of the attack. A few hours before this incident, ML members had called for the boycott of Babloo Loitongbam on online public platforms, claiming that he had made false allegations against them. This referred to Babloo Loitongbam’s criticism of certain groups within the Meitei community, particularly the ML, suggesting that radical right-wing ideology was becoming prevalent among them.
These attacks on Babloo Loitongbam take place in a context of ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur State since May 3, 2023, including between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki community, where dissenting voices, particularly those advocating for peace and reconciliation are attacked, including journalists, with authorities refusing to investigate cases of intimidation by groups such as the ML.
The Observatory expresses its deep concern about the new attacks and acts of intimidation against Babloo Loitongbam and his family, which seem to be only aimed at dissuading him from exercising his legitimate activities in defence of human rights and his right to freedom of expression.
The Observatory calls on the Indian authorities to put an end to these attacks and acts of intimidation, and to conduct an independent, rigorous, impartial and transparent investigation in order to identify those responsible and bring them before an independent, competent and impartial judiciary. The Observatory also calls on the Indian authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Babloo Loitongbam and his family.
Action required:
Please write to the authorities of India to urge them to:
– Guarantee in all circumstances the safety, physical integrity, and psychological well-being of Babloo Loitongbam and his family;
– Carry out an immediate, independent, thorough, and impartial investigation into all attacks and other acts of harassment against Babloo Loitongbam, in order to identify the perpetrators and instigators, bring them before a competent, independent, fair and impartial judiciary, and apply the criminal and other sanctions provided for by law;
– Ensure that an end be put to all acts of harassment and intimidation by third parties against Babloo Loitongbam, his family, and all other human rights defenders in India, and ensure that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities in all circumstances, without hindrance or fear of reprisal;
– Grant urgent protection measures to Babloo Loitongbam and extend protection to his family members.
Addresses:
• Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, E-mail: connect@mygov.nic.in, Twitter: @narendramodi
• Mr. Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs of India, Email: amitshah.mp@sansad.nic.in, Twitter: @AmitShah
• Mr. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs of India, Email: hshso@nic.in
• Mr. D. Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court of India, Email: supremecourt@nic.in
• Mr. Shri Devendra Kumar Singh, IAS, Secretary General Chief Executive Officer of the National Human Rights Commission of India, Email: sgnhrc@nic.in, Twitter: @India_NHRC
• Mr. Indrajeet Kumar, Focal Point on Human Rights Defenders, National Human Rights Commission of India, Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in
• Mr. N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, Email: cmmani@nic.in, Twitter: @NBirenSingh
• Mr. Kuldeep SIngh, Security Advisor, State of Manipur, Email: secretary2cm@gmail.com
• Mr. Ravi Singh, Director General of Police of Manipur, Email: dgcrmanipur100@gmail.com
• H.E. Mr. Indra Mani Pandey, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Email: india.geneva@mea.gov.in
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of India in your respective countries.
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Paris-Geneva, October 22, 2024
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
E-mail: alert@observatoryfordefenders.org
Tel FIDH: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18
Tel OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39
