[PAA-Discuss] urgent online action

[Juli3 at aol.com]

Please email all three of the below, feel free to edit;
 
Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh
Email:  mail at cmo.cg.gov.in


Director General of Police
Giridhari Nayak  Chhattisgarh Home Guard & Civil Defence, Mana
Email: dgrai.hgcd-cg at gov.in

Jail Superintendent
Amit  Shandilya
Jagdalpur Central Jail
Email: jdrjail at gmail.com
 
 
Dear Sir

I am contacting you today in grave concern for  detained journalist Santosh 
Yadav and seven other prisoners beaten for  protesting against the quality 
of food served in the Jagdalpur central  jail.   Santosh Yadav and the seven 
other prisoners were, according to  family and media reports, beaten by 
state police after they peacefully protested  about the quality of food at the 
jail on 2 November. On 3 November, police  authorities registered a criminal 
case against Santosh and the seven other  pre-trial detainees in relation 
to the protest, accusing them of offences  including ‘rioting’.  Santosh 
Yadav’s relatives say they have not been  allowed to see him since the incident.

His brother, Jitender  Yadav, has said that the family only heard about the 
beating on 4 November when  Santosh called from a hospital. The prison 
authorities have yet to provide a  reason for their refusal to allow the family 
to visit Santosh. Amnesty  International has not been able to make contact 
with the prison authorities. The  extent of Santosh Yadav’s injuries remain 
unclear.  


Santosh Yadav was arrested on 29 September 2015 and is being held under the 
 Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities  
(Prevention) Act. It is believed that he is being targeted for his work among  
Indigenous Adivasi communities in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, and that the 
 allegations against him are fabricated.

According to his lawyer and family, this is not the first time  Santosh has 
been mistreated, as he was stripped and humiliated by the state  police in 
June 2015 and tortured on 30 September 2015, and told Amnesty  International 
in August 2016 that he had received threats to his life from an  inmate.


I therefore respectfully urge you to immediately drop  charges filed 
against all prisoners solely for protesting against prison  conditions, and launch 
an independent investigation into the beatings;  

Please also immediately and unconditionally release Santosh Yadav  and drop 
all pending charges against him, and pending his release, ensure he is  
given regular access to his lawyer and family;

And finally, please  ensure that all prisoners in the state are treated in 
accordance with the UN  Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of 
Prisoners, and are not subjected to  torture or other ill-treatment.

Most  respectfully,
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