<b>Amnesty International on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by Madhya Pradeshh Police</b>

Amnesty International has written to the Chief Minister of Madhya
Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, asking for an inquiry into an incident
in the adivasi village of Khedi Balwadi, district Dhar, on 20
July 2002.

The organization received disturbing reports that about
400 police officers from Amjera police station resorted to
beating villagers who resisted their efforts to forcibly evict
them from their houses and properties. Amnesty International
believes that Madhya Pradesh police may have used a
disproportionate use of force during the operation. The village
is to be submerged by the waters of the Maan dam.

On the evening of 20 July, about 400 police officers
reportedly entered Khedi Balwadi and started pulling and dragging
people into vans, without any provocation from the villagers and
without any warning. Those resisting the action were severely
beaten and male policemen are reported to have used abusive
language and mishandled a large number of women, separating some
of them from their infant children. Police also entered the
houses without showing any search warrants. The villagers
reported that some of their property, including jewellery and
cattle, is now missing, and asserted that it might have been
illegally appropriated by police during the operation. The
villagers were subsequently taken to Kesur resettlement site, 75
kilometres away, where no medical assistance was provided to
those who had been beaten. Some of their belongings were also
transferred there by police. The villagers were not officially
arrested or charged with any offence but remained under arbitrary
police guard for about 24 hours, before being allowed to leave
the site.

Amnesty International pointed out to the Chief Minister
that the police operation as reported amounts to cruel, inhuman
and degrading treatment as defined in the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, which
India has signed. The operation also appears to be in violation
of Article 3 of the "Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement
Officials" (1979), stating that "Law enforcement officials may
use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required
for the performance of their duty".

In the letter, Amnesty International urged the Government
of Madhya Pradesh to take action against any police officers
found to have used excessive force against the villagers. It
called on the state executive to set up a prompt and impartial
judicial enquiry into the incident and to make public and fully
implement the findings of this enquiry. The organization will
continue to monitor the developments after this incident.

The letter was copied to; Mr Ayodhyanathi Pathak,
Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh; Justice JS Verma,
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission; Justice Gulab
Gupta, Chairperson, Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission;
Mr. Jual Oram, Minister for Tribal Affairs and to the Chairperson
of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes.