Front Line is deeply concerned following reports of the arbitrary detention of human rights defender and human rights lawyer Bijaya Chanda on 5 March 2008. Bijaya Chanda is a practicing lawyer at Alipore District Sessions and Criminal Court in West Bengal where she defends victims of human rights violations. She is also a member of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), and also closely attached to Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), both of are human rights organisations based in West Bengal.

Further Information

Posted 18/03/2008 On 5 March 2008, Bijaya Chanda was part of a fact-finding team, consisting of herself and four other members of the APDR: Siddhartha Sengupta, Anup Dutta, Prashanta Halder and Ratna Bhowmick. The purpose of the fact-finding team was to visit and observe the human rights situation in Block 1 and 2 of the Nandigram area. They were scheduled to stay in the villages of the area of Nandigram until 7 March 2008 and they had informed the authorities to that effect.

At approximately 7.20pm, they were travelling by van near the Sonachura Bazar and the home of Panchayet Pradhan Lakshan Mondal when they were stopped by between sixty and seventy members of the Communist Party of India [CPI (M)], including party leaders Lakshan Mondal Panchayet Pradhan, Anup Mondal, Badal Mondal Mondal, Joydeb Paik, Chandrakanta Paik, Chintamoni Das, Sagar Ch. Mondal, Prabir Das, Rabin Mondal, Ganesh Pal, Bishweshar Pradhan, Bidhan Pramanick and Santosh Halder. They surrounded the van and ordered them to stop and get out, while verbally abusing them with foul language. When they told them that they were travelling to the village of Sonachura Shahid Smriti Swasthakendra and that they had informed the local police, the CPI (M) members accused them of being Maoists and said that they would search their belongings and report them to the police.

Bijaya Chanda informed them that she was a lawyer and showed them her identity card that had been issued by the Bar Council of West Bengal as well as letters written by the APDR to the Nandigram police station. She requested that they search their belongings if that was necessary and allow them to continue to Sonachura Shahid Smriti Swasthakendra. However the members of CPI (M) forcefully detained them inside the surgery of a local doctor and informed the police that they had detained five Maoist terrorists who had tried to attack them. While detained, Bijaya Chandra and the other members of the APDR were verbally abused by the CPI (M) members who made explicit sexual references with a view to intimidating Bijaya Chandra and Ratna Bhowmick, the other woman in the party. They also threatened them with being skinned and buried alive, and that they would plant firearms in their bags for the police to find. They were prevented from using their mobile phones. The police from Nandigram police station arrived at approximately 8.45p.m; however, the CPI (M) members continued their ill-treatment of the detainees in the presence of the police. Bijaya Chandra, Siddhartha Sengupta, Anup Dutta, Prashanta Halder and Ratna Bhowmick were taken to the police station at 1.10am on 6 March 2008 where they were held until 10.15am and prevented from contacting their colleagues and relatives. While they were getting into the police vehicle on their way to the police station, a CPI (M) member, Chandrakanta Paik, reportedly said that they ought to have killed Bijaya Chandra and Siddhartha Sengupta. The police confiscated letters that were in Bijaya Chandra's possession from a client of hers who is currently in judicial custody. A map of Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur, a book belonging to Bijaya Chandra, and a notebook belonging to Ratna Bhowmick were also confiscated; despite the police not having a seizure warrant nor recording the items taken.

Front Line believes that Bijaya Chandra has been targeted as a result of her human rights activities, in particular her work to investigate and represent victims of human rights violations in West Bengal.