Insane, Part of Police Vendetta: Nandini Sundar on Murder Charges

Nandini Sundar. (Photo: The Quint)

A Delhi University (DU) professor and social activist Nandini Sundar, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor, along with nine others, have been booked on charges of murder of a tribal villager in insurgency-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

An FIR was lodged against DU Professor Nandini Sundar, Archana Prasad (JNU Professor), Vineet Tiwari (from Delhi’s Joshi Adhikar Sansthan), Sanjay Parate (Chhattisgarh CPI (Marxist) State Secretary) and others along with Maoists for the murder of Shamnath Baghel based on the complaint of his wife on Saturday.

Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) SRP Kalluri to <i>PTI</i>

They were booked under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 147 (rioting), 148 and 149 of IPC at Tongpal Police Station, the IG said, adding: "Strongest possible action will be taken against those guilty after the investigation".

In an interview with The Quint, Professor Sundar said the allegations were "insane", pointing out that she was not in Chhattisgarh at the time of the incident.

This FIR is clearly a reprisal for the recent CBI chargesheet that has held the Chhattisgarh Police responsible for the violence in Tadmetla village in 2011.

Nandini Sundar

Sundar refers to an operation carried out by heavily armed men in March 2011, when over 200 homes across Tadmetla, Morepalli and Timapuram in south Chhattisgarh were set afire.

She is the current head of the Department of Sociology at Delhi University and is married to Siddharth Varadarajan, former editor of The Hindu and founding editor of The Wire.

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She further commented on the FIR and said:

It’s part of the Chattisgarh’s police vendetta against lawyers and activists who’ve been critical of their fake encounters, mass gangrapes of women and the complete lawlessness of the police. The FIR against us is absurd. We haven’t even been to the area. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Though the case was registered on Saturday, the matter came to light on Monday night.

Armed Naxals had allegedly killed Baghel with sharp weapons on Friday at his residence in Nama village in Tongpal area, around 450 kms away from Raipur.

Baghel and some of his associates were spearheading the protest against Naxal activities in their village since April this year.

As per the complaint lodged by the victim’s wife, her husband had been getting threats from Maoists since he and other villagers had complained against Sundar in May this year. Even armed ultras were referring to that complaint and anti-Maoist demonstrations while attacking Baghel on Friday.

SRP Kalluri, IG

The complaint also mentioned that during the attack, Maoists kept telling Baghel that he was being punished because he did not listen to Sundar and others, and continued opposing them.

Baghel's wife has sought action against Sundar and others accusing them of murdering her husband, Kalluri said.

The violence in Tadmetla, Timapuram and Morepalli came at the end of a five-day operation, involving hundreds of troopers from the state police and the CRPF. (Photo: Aman Sethi/The Quint)

Baghel and other villagers of the region had earlier given a complaint to Tongpal police in May this year against Sundar, Prasad, Tiwari, Parate and an unidentified woman activist from Sukma for allegedly inciting innocent tribals against the government and seeking their support for Maoists.

Villagers of Nama and the neighbouring Kumakoleng village had started a self-motivated protest against Maoist activities in their villages after forming its own security group named "Tangiya (axe) group" in April this year.

Sundar had gone to the village with the alias Richa Keshav, he said.

A letter was then written to the Vice Chancellors of both DU and JNU informing that Bastar police was conducting an inquiry against both the professors following the complaint received against them, he added.

(With agency inputs.)