The Asian Human Rights Commission is concerned on the arbitrary arrest of Dr Chandra Kant Raut at 7:15 PM on 13 September 2014 by the Morang Police. Satyanarayan Mandal who was travelling with him was also arrested. The arbitrary arrest took place at Aamtola Ward Number 3 of Rangeli Municipality. Around 12 police officers who came in 2 police vans stopped his vehicle and took them forcibly. Doctor Raut was returning to Biratnagar after attending Chata Mela (Celebration of Santhal Community) in a car, Maruti Van, number Sh. 1 Ch. 154. Doctor Raut holds a PhD from the Cambridge University, UK and worked as a scientist in the USA prior to returning to Nepal to advocate for the rights of the Madheshis, the native and indigenous people of the southern plains. He has been advocating for freedom of Madhesh through peaceful and non-violent means in the capacity of Central Coordinator of the Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM). AIM has been recently conducting interaction programs targeted mainly at raising awareness about the history as well as the current political scenario of Madhesh. They have been conducting these informal programs in various districts of Nepal for the last one month, and the participants attend the programs usually by invitation-only. But in many programs, officers from the Nepal Police and Investigation Department (and in one program even army staffs) were present, to which Dr Raut and his organisation did not object and continued their program. However, on 10th September 2014, in Bardiya district, police personnel intervened in their program and asked the organisers to stop that raising fear and panic among the participants. Later the police questioned several participants. They even went to their homes, and reportedly attempted to harass them. Acknowledging that everyone has the rights to freedom of speech, movement, peaceful assembly and association are the fundamental rights of all human beings everywhere, as also mandated by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which Nepal is a signatory, we expect acknowledgement and assurance of their rights from the state and its agencies. The AHRC urges the government of Nepal to immediately release Dr Chandra Kant Raut and Satyanarayan Mandal. The AHRC is worried about the physical safety of Dr Raut and Mr Mandal. The AHRC fears possible torture, harassment and other ill treatment during their arbitrary arrest by the Morang Police.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 16:22:58 +0000
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