HRF condemns attack on PUCL leader, allege mining mafia’s involvement

The Human Rights Forum (HRF) have strongly condemned the physical attack on Dr. V. Suresh, national general secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and senior advocate at the Madras High Court.

The HRF alleged that the assault, which took place at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu on Sunday was carried out by hired agents of a mining mafia. The public hearing was organised People’s Campaign for Justice to address the social and environmental issues arising from illegal stone quarrying in Tirunelveli district.

The HRF members said that Dr. Suresh, who was chairing the jury panel of the people’s tribunal, was attacked by 25 persons with an intent to disrupt the public hearing and to threaten and intimidate the participants. During the assault a chair was flung at Dr. Suresh which hit him above the neck resulting in a bleeding injury.

The attack took place in context of Dr. Suresh’s prior work as amicus curiae in a PIL that exposed a massive illegal beach-sand mineral mining scam across Tirunelveli. The case led to a ban on mining operations.

“We believe that some of the mining companies implicated in that scam are behind Sunday’s attack,” said V.S. Krishna and S. Jeevan Kumar, HRF AP & Telangana Coordination Committee members in a statement.

The HRF has urged the the TN government to institute an independent investigation into the assault on Dr. Suresh, the circumstances of non-intervention of the police, register criminal cases and arrest all those responsible.