The Hindu / by Sonam Saigal Mumbai
`If we want democracy to function as per Constitution political prisoners must be released’
All nine activists arrested and booked for cases related to the Bhima Koregaon violence have written to Maharashtra’s Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao appealing, “if we really want democracy to function as per the Indian Constitution then all political prisoners should be released.“
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NewsClick / By Saurabh Sinha
His crime- raising his voice against illegal mining in Gadhchiroli, reading, understanding and deliberating for the rights of tribals and other communities- in the state of Maharashtra.
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en | 5:45 min | 2019
One year has passed since 5 activists and human rights defenders were arrested in India on trumped up charges in what was largely seen as a crackdown on dissent
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Sign Amnesty´s call for the immediate release of the Bhima Koregaon 9
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Video: Bhima Koregaon 9: Heroes Who Fight For Your Rights
en | 6:18 min | 2019
In 2018, a massive crackdown on human rights defenders was underway. 9 prominent activists across the country were arrested.
#FreeBK9
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Scroll.in / By Aarefa Johari
Scroll.in spoke to family members of Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale, who were arrested on June 6 last year.
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Letter By Lídia Senra Rodríguez
Dear Ms Federica MOGHERINI
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
I call on you once again regarding your responsibility as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in order to ask for your much-appreciated reaction about the dramatic situation of Professor GN Saibaba. …
I also demand the immediate release of the lawyer of Professor GN Saibaba, Surendra Gadling, as well as human rights activists Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson and Mahesh Raut.
Full letter (pdf file): Letter to HR Ms. Mogherini regarding the worrying situation of Indian professor GN Saibaba_050419.pdf
Nov 2019
“Mahesh is highly loved and respected in all these villages and one with the people I visited. They treated him as if he were a member of their own house!”
Hailing from Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, Mahesh Raut is a young prominent activist working for the rights of Adivasi communities in his district. Born in Lakhapur, a small village in Maharashtra, Mahesh completed his schooling from Gadchiroli and moved to Nagpur for graduation. He later went on to pursue higher education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. On completing his education he worked as Prime Minister Rural Development Fellow (PMRDF) in Gadchiroli. He has tirelessly advocated for laws like The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act and Forest Rights Act which protect the democratic rights of indigenous communities against unlawful land grabbing by large corporations. Mahesh has consistently worked to protect and promote the rights of the marginalised within a Constitutional framework. On completion of his fellowship, Mahesh decided to continue working with the Adivasi communities in the State.
Mahesh organised and participated in mass movements to abet the cause of social welfare. He was the co-convenor of Visthapan Vidrohi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA) which ghts against the forced displacement of Adivasis and other marginalised people. As a member of VVJVA, Mahesh organised the Tendu leaves workers from Adivasi communities of the region to sell them directly in the market without the involvement of middlemen.
Along with campaigning for the Adivasis of the region, he also joined the Bharat Jan Andolan (BJA), an organisation started by late BD Sharma. Through his work with BJA, Mahesh has been instrumental in organising people for participative decision making in regions a ected by mining projects, including the Surajgarh mining project.
His work against the atrocities of Police and several State authorities led to several cases being led against him. According to a letter drafted by his PMRDF fellows, the State’s crackdown on Mahesh started from 2013 citing his consistent political engagement as one of the reasons for his harassment. His friend and fellow activist Sohini Shoaib, working in Bihar writes about her visit to Gadchiroli, “Mahesh was highly loved and respected in all these villages and one with the people I visited. They treated him as if he were a member of their own house! Some of them even tried to get me to convince him to get married: they thought he worked too hard and did not take care of his health enough. They hoped that nding a partner would help him feel less lonely, help him balance other aspects of life!”
In 2018, Mahesh was picked up by the Pune Police for his alleged involvement in organising the Elgar Parishad and his alleged Maoist links. He was booked under sections of the UAPA and arrested from his residence in Nagpur. Neither was he involved in organising the Elgar Parishad nor did he attend the 31st December events. His arrest is a clear crackdown of the State on Human Rights defenders who are struggling against the State and Corporation nexus. His contributions to promote and uphold Constitutional rights of the marginalised identities have led him to persecution and consequent imprisonment. His incarceration is a standing testament of the State’s repression of Rights’ activists who protect the values of the Constitution which the same State is trampling upon.
Lalsu Nogoti, an elected district council member from Bhamragad in Maharashtra is speaking about the work of Mahesh Raut:
“He first came to us as a part of the PMRD [Prime Minister’s Rural Development] fellowship in 2013. He would visit every village with other government officials and meticulously note down grievances and parallelly also research on several village and state-level policies that could come to our rescue. His work in the formative years helped us build our struggles in the coming days.”
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The Wire / By Sukanya Shantha
Villagers have highlighted the work done by the forest rights activist in the area and the challenges they have been facing since his arrest in June 2018.
Mumbai: Four months after Pune Police arrested Mahesh Raut, forest rights activist and former Prime Minister Rural Development Fellow, terming him an ‘Urban Naxal’, as many as 300 gram sabhas (village councils) from Etapalli and Bhamragad tehsils of Gadchiroli have passed a resolution in his support.
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The Wire / By Javed Iqbal
Activists opposed to displacement and mining in Gadchiroli speak about the new wave of state repression, adivasi culture, their own struggles with higher education, government policies and people’s movements.
(Conversation with Sainu Gotta, Lalsu Nogoti, Mahesh Raut)
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