Piyush Manush
Piyush Manush is an environmental rights defender and convener of Salem Citizen’s Forum. Through the forum, he regularly organises meetings, events and protests with local farmers and villagers whose land rights and livelihoods are endangered by mega-industrial projects in Salem district. He was previously arrested in April 2016 for protesting against the construction of a bridge that would negatively impact the environment. The Salem Citizen's Forum also works for environmental conservation. It adopted six lakes in the Salem district and restored them. The Forum also works against land encroachments, land mafia, and for forest protection.
Human rights defenders in India face a diverse range of attacks and harassment from state and non-state actors alike, including killing, physical assault, arbitrary detention, threats and judicial harassment.
