FORUM-ASIA and member organisation People’s Watch are urging the government of Tamil Nadu in India to conduct a proper investigation into the hundreds of human rights violations committed by the Joint Special Task Force which was set up to capture forest bandit Veerappan. The abuses were documented in a report submitted to the State Assembly at the end of the Long March from Satyamangalam to Chennai as part of the Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of the Special Task Force campaign.

FORUM-ASIA and member organisation People’s Watch are urging the government of Tamil Nadu in India to conduct a proper investigation into the hundreds of human rights violations committed by the Joint Special Task Force (JSTF) which was set up to capture forest bandit Veerappan. The abuses were documented in a report submitted to the State Assembly on 30 April at the end of the “Long March” from Satyamangalam to Chennai as part of the Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of the Special Task Force campaign.

Jointly established by the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in 1993, the goal of the JSTF was to capture forest bandit Veerappan. In the course of their search, task force officials committed numerous human rights violations against the residents of villages bordering the forest on the basis of alleged complicity or links with Veerappan.

Despite numerous calls from NGOs asking the National Human Rights Commission to intervene on behalf of the hundreds of victims, the NHRC remained silent. Only in 2000 did the NHRC appoint the Sadashiva panel to begin assessing the crimes. During the next two years, only 149 of the 887 identified victims testified before the panel, and only 38 of those received compensation, on the basis of an alleged lack of evidence or victims’ inability to name perpetrators. None of the perpetrators were punished.
 
From April 20-30, People’s Watch, along with a consortium of human rights organisations, took part in the “Long March” to demand justice for the victims of the JSTF. Although the march was not approved by the government, thousands of victims, campaign members and supporters took part. On the second day of the march, many campaigners were arrested but were released the same day. The issue was then raised in the State Assembly, where the Chief Minister gave an assurance that he would consider the matter if he received a list of victims.

The consortium of NGOs submitted the report on 30 April. It identified a total of 887 victims, of whom 71 died following torture, 53 died in encounters with police, 21 were raped, and more than 700 were subjected to torture in police custody.
 
The Secretary of the Chief Minisiter, Mr. Devaraj IAS, said on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government that the matter would be given high priority. Members of the Relief and Rehabilitation of Victims of the Special Task Force hope the government will finally take action for the hundreds of people who have waited more than a decade for justice.