PEOPLES UNION FOR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS (PUDR)

24th February 2018

PUDR mourns the death of Neelabh Mishra

Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) mourns the death of a friend and our former Executive member Neelabh Mishra. Neelabh breathed his last on 24th February 2018 at 07.30AM at Apollo Hospital, Chennai where he had been receiving treatment for non-alcoholic liver failure.

Right to protest has been coming under attack under one or other pretext. Earlier public order was the way in which our right to protest was curtailed by imposing IPC Section 144 on large parts of the Delhi city to prevent gathering of more than five persons. People were also confined to a small physical area, limiting the means and impact of resistance. Now, public health concerns are being invoked to throttle people’s right to protest. The recent National Green Tribunal (NGT) Order against the Application No.

People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) expresses grave concern at the increasing incidents of violent attacks and gang wars in jail which severely threaten the life and security of the inmates. The Tihar jail authorities have faltered in fulfilling their responsibility of ensuring a safe atmosphere by failing to keep in check violent conflicts among prisoners, the brunt of which is being borne by those inmates that are more vulnerable. On September 13th two Kashmiri undertrials - Mohammed Shafi and Javaid Ahmed - were severely assaulted by members of two warring groups, in Jail No. 3.

PUDR remembers the significant contribution of Justice P.N. Bhagwati to the cause of furthering and protecting fundamental and democratic rights of citizens, in his death on 15 June 2017. In his years as a judge, especially through the 1980s, Justice Bhagwati along with Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, introduced Public Interest Litigation on a substantive scale in India, and the thrust of many of his judgments was to make justice and rights accessible to large numbers. His championing of legal aid can also be seen in this light.

झारखण्ड के हमारे साथी कार्यकर्ता शशि भूषण पाठक के निधन पर पीयूडीआर खेद व्यक्त करता है | 25 फरवरी 2017 की सुबह खबर मिली की साथी शशि भूषण पाठक वेल्लोर के क्रिस्चियन मेडिकल कॉलेज में चल बसे | वे लम्बे समय से डायबिटीज और गुर्दे की बीमारी से पीड़ित थे |