National People's Tribunal holds Indian national and state governments guilty of gross neglect of duty

All branches of the Indian government have studiously avoided the Hearings of the National People's Tribunal set up to investigate the recent incidents at Nandigram.

While the final report of the Tribunal is not yet ready, the following preliminary findings have been released:
- There is no doubt at all that grave violations of human rights have been committed against the villagers of Nandigram;
- There seems to be a disturbingly large number of reports of sexual violence against women;
- There is an urgent need for a thorough, independent investigation of the events of 14 March 2007, especially with a view to ensuring justice for all those whose rights have been violated;
- There are still a significant number of people in the area who need immediate medical attention for various problems related to the violence;
- From all accounts no steps have been taken by the state machinery to provide compensation for the dead and injured so far;
- The education and normal activities of school going children in both Nandigram and adjoining areas such as Khejuri have been seriously affected due to both past and ongoing disturbances.

For the actual Preliminary Report of the Nandigram National People's Tribunal hearings, please go to: http://groups.google.com/group/JohnDayal/browse_thread/thread/bbdfbf68d1ab7a44 Sphere: Related Content

People's Tribunal on Nandigram

All fair-minded citizens will be astonished that the Government of India and the Government of Bengal have not yet set up an indpendent commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting down of peasants by the police in Nandigram, following all the tensions regarding the possible formation of a SEZ there.

I therefore welcome (and I am sure that all fair-minded citizens will welcome) the formation of the People's Tribunal consisting of: Justice Bhargava, Ex-Chief Justice Sikkim High Court; Prabash Joshi, Editor, Jansatta; Minakshi Sen Bandopadhyay, Ex-Member, Womens Commission, Tripura; Lalita Ramdas, Social Activist; John Dayal, Journalist and Human Rights Activist; Jyotirmay Samajder, Doctor; and others. Sphere: Related Content