Soni Sori tortured in custody, admitted to hospital in Chhattisgarh

Soni Sori photographed in police custody in Delhi

Soni Sori, a tribal woman from Chhattisgarh, who was arrested in New Delhi last Wednesday, could not be produced in the Dantewada court as she was admitted to hospital with grievous injuries after torture in police custody, according to reports reaching Human Rights Movement network (humanrights-movement@googlegroups.com.

Kavita Srivastava, General Secretary, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, writes:
On Wednesday 5th October 2011, Soni Sori was arrested from Delhi in a joint operation by the Crime Branch and the Chhattisgarh Police. Fearing for her life, she was hiding from the Chhattisgarh police who has labelled her as a ‘maoist on the run’ and had mounted this huge search operation. After her arrest, when she was produced before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) at a district court in Delhi, she and her lawyers requested the court to give her bail. She pleaded that she should not be sent back as she fears that the Chattisgarh police will kill her. Her plea was rejected and on Friday she wash handed over to the Chattiagarh police.

Today, on the 10th of October, 2011, we have learnt that Soni Sori could not be produced in the court in Chattisgarh as she was admitted with injuries in the District Hospital at Dantewada.

See Video which shows her groaning in pain in the hospital X-Ray room.

We have been informed that she has injuries on the head and on the back.

The police claim that ‘she slipped in the bathroom and has hurt her head’.

It is clear that the rights of the accused enshrined in the Constituoin and Delhi High Court orders of the 7th of October for protection and safety of Soni Sori all have been openly and blatantly violated by the Chhattisgarh police.

We pray that she be rescued from the hands of the Chhattisgarh polie, that Soni Sori be immediately examined by a doctor and provided medical help and that the report of her injuries is made public.

We also demand

- that she is immediately transferred to Delhi, and

- that the police personnel who tortured Soni Sori be immediately suspended and a high level enquiry ordered.


See also the Tehelka story Inconvenient Truth Of Soni Sori By Shoma Chaudhury