COORDINATION OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS ORGANISATION (CDRO) , an association of civil rights and democratic rights organizations gives a call for a Dharna on 7th September, 2012 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest against escalated forms of violence and repression that various sections of people within the country are being subjected to. The course of democracy in India is increasingly witnessing a violent assault not just on people’s rights but the very existence of people who dare to stand and act in negation of the status quo is being jeopardized. The current year has been replete with instances of mass violation of civil and democratic rights of people. While the brutal and prejudiced side of the state is obvious in its “arrest or kill” policy towards those resisting corporate take-over of their land, forest and water in the name of counter Maoist offensives such as killing of 17 adivasis in Bijapur district of Chattisgarh. Equally evident is the state-corporate partnership exploiting peoples’ resources in the name of industrial development. The conscious attempt of the state to target vulnerable sections of society, to ‘construct’ them as criminals is visible in numerous cases of Muslim youths being falsely implicated in terrorist cases by Anti-Terrorist Squads of different state governments. There have been increasing instances of sexual assault on women by paramilitary forces. Incidents of violence against and social boycott of Dalits as a repercussion of their assertion of legitimate rights are escalating. Physical attacks on social activists for raising genuine concerns against the fatal consequences of state policies that pass under the rhetoric of development, together with a massive and shameful deployment of draconian laws such as sedition and UAPA are being used against civil and democratic rights activists to silence their critical voices.  Out of 640 district of India, 101 are reeling under Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) and in another 37 districts we find similar conditions. This war against our own people has thrown up social and ethnic divides whose tragic consequences can be seen in the current bloodletting in Assam and the exodus of people from North East out of Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad etc. We are also alarmed at the indifference shown towards uncovering of mass graves in Kashmir which may hold the key to solve the mystery of 8-10,000 victims of enforced disappearance.

Raising concerted voices against the gross violations at the hands of state and societal power structure we demand:

• Stop military offensive against Adivasis in the name of waging war against the Maoists.
• No to corporate loot. Yes to ‘public resources for public’.
• Repeal draconian laws like AFSPA, UAPA, IPC sections on sedition, CSPSA, and others.
• Stop attack on Muslims in the name of terrorism.
• Condemn attacks on rights activists.
• Protect the rights of the indigenous people of the North East
• Constitute an independent commission to investigate mass graves/unidentified graves.
• Ratify the Convention Against Enforced Disappearances and Convention Against Torture.
• Abolish Death Penalty

Member Organizations: Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR, Punjab), Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR, West Bengal), Assansol Civil Rights Association (West Bengal), Bandi Mukti Committee (West Bengal), Campaign for Peace & Democracy (CPDM) Manipur, Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR, Mumbai), Coordination for Human Rights (COHR, Manipur), Human Rights Forum (HRF, Andhra), Lokshahi Hak Sangathana (LHS, Maharashtra), Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS, Assam), Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR, Andhra), Peoples Committee for Human Rights (PCHR), Jammu and Kashmir), Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF, Karnataka), Peoples Union for Civil Liberties  (PUCL) Chhattisgarh, PUCL Jharkhand, PUCL Nagpur, PUCL Rajasthan, PUCL Tamilnadu, People’s Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR) Delhi, Peoples Union for Civil Rights (PUCR) Haryana.