Thanks to Ummul for persisting with this. We meet at noon today at Vidya Sagar, Kotturpuram with VIT's Asst Prof of Sociology from VIT Ms Mahalakshmi and members from SCARF to take community awareness forward.
Dumping all information related to this matter here : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xt5KVRyuH61HD1-0mUK7mcm_gLN0mwG6Ve4DEXK6FeU/edit?usp=sharing (Updates will appear here too, so save this link) On Wed, 31 May 2023 at 16:14, Vaishnavi Jayakumar < jayakumar.vaishn...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear Ummul, > > A case was filed via HRCNet with SHRC Tamil Nadu by our colleague > Meenakshi B, in her capacity as member of the NHRC core group on > disability. Diary No 595/IN/2023, case no. 4394/22/13/2023 was filed on 25 > April 2023, regarding "violence against a person with psychosocial > disability / some form of disability by the general public, resulting in > killing the person." The link to the following article was also shared in > the complaint form : > > *Disabled man dies after being beaten up in Chennai* > > Apr 17, 2023, 05:56 IST > > CHENNAI: An unidentified mentally challenged man, in his 30s, was beaten > to death by local residents near Valasaravakkam after he pelted stones at > passersby. While the attack happened on April 13, the man succumbed to > injuries in a hospital on Saturday. Police have altered the case to murder > and detained three suspects. > > According to a complaint filed with Valasaravakkam police by Karambakkam > village administrative officer K Thangapandian, the incident happened > around 8 pm last Thursday. > Local residents said the man was homeless and used to hurl stones and > abuse passersby. While some of them chased him away, several left him with > a warning. > > On Thursday, the man threw a small log at a bike-borne woman in Padmavathy > Nagar. Enraged over this, the woman halted the vehicle and picked up a > fight with him. She grabbed the log from him and thrashed him before > leaving the spot. > > The mentally challenged man tried to escape and ran away when some > passersby began chasing him and threw stones at him. > > The man who suffered severe bleeding injuries, escaped from the mob, when > one Jayamuthuvel took a cricket bat and assaulted the victim, in which he > suffered a severe head injury. > > > timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/disabled-man-dies-after-being-beaten-up-in-chennai/articleshow/99543545.cms > > The action sought is the following : While the law and order machinery has > been started in the case of the 4 main accused, there is an obvious > requirement for some community awareness in the surroundings by the > government authorities on mental health, common behaviours in acute mental > illness, what to expect and how and when best to intervene when someone is > in an acute mental health situation and unaware of their actions. > Additional media coverage (linked below) points out that while the first > act of aggression was by the homeless person with mental illness / > disability, subsequent violence by the community was not restricted to > retaliation alone, but amplified to senseless violence by way of stone > pelting and finally beating with a cricket bat by bystanders in the local > community. > > > https://www.dtnext.in/city/2023/04/16/mentally-challenged-man-beaten-to-death-by-mob-in-valasaravakkam > > https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2023/apr/17/three-held-for-beating-mentally-unstable-man-to-death-in-chennai-2566643.html > > > Additionally, first responder training on negotiating with emotionally > disturbed persons and sensitisation is also recommended as Chennai has a > history of en masse 'drives' rounding up anyone appearing homeless and > possibly mentally ill and housing them in shelters. While these actions may > be well-meaning they are nevertheless dehumanising, disrespectful and > deviations from concepts of legal capacity and consent as laid out by > current mental health and disability laws. > > Despite over a month having passed, the portal reveals no progress on this > complaint. Recent events like the Shahbad Dairy neighbourhood exhibiting > the Bystander Effect > <https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/delhi-murder-why-people-walked-by-as-teenage-girl-was-stabbed-multiple-times-12663342.html> > show > that responsiveness and responsibility as a group in understanding and > overcoming both hate and apathy needs to be learned. Governmental > intervention > <https://twitter.com/DisabilityIndia/status/1647849980118421506?t=XUigYkeE8Ms2xjuXWAzB0g&s=08> > in Valsarvakkam and surrounding areas so that the local community > recognises the social dynamics of group violence and the potential for swarm > behaviour <https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi326> is a > priority. > > More so because the victim of this lynching is an unknown, unnamed > destitute person with no family to raise a hue and cry. > > Media coverage of this disturbing incident is attached. > > We look forward to your support in escalating this with SHRC-TN. > > Regards, > > Vaishnavi > > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EMAIL OVERLOAD? 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