Let’s re-examine Kohli case

Exactly a month ago, a crusading lawyer and rights activist, Veerji Kohli, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Tharparkar district and sessions court on charges of murder that has since been described by advocacy group Sach aur Haq Jedojahad (SAHJ) as fabricated. Kohli’s defenders insist he has been “framed and punished” for mounting a legal campaign for justice for a minor Hindu girl who was allegedly gang-raped by influential feudals in Tharparkar. To silence the lawyer, a case of murder was levelled against Kohli in May 2011, they say. What is disturbing to note that the father and uncle of the rape survivor were part of the alleged conspiracy against Kohli. An independent investigation was conducted and Kohli was found innocent but he was nonetheless found guilty by the sessions court and convicted.

Amidst all this gloom it is encouraging to see that a concerned body of citizens such as SAHJ has been formed against the use of arbitrary police and legal powers to silence those who resist oppression. We too oppose such measures and call for greater accountability from the state as well as the media. An independent investigation is needed against the use of arbitrary police and legal powers. Activists like Kohli are more vulnerable because of the historical processes of violence against minorities due to which the powerful can oppress with impunity.  This is hardly an isolated case.

Kohli has some impressive credentials: he has struggled hard for gender justice and has been involved in labour and environmental rights campaigns in Tharparkar. He has worked tirelessly for the uplift of the desert region.

The advocacy group has asked provincial and national representatives to take notice of Veerji’s imprisonment in light of the independent report conducted into the case.  It has also demanded that Kohli be released from Hyderabad jail. By re-examining the case, at least we hope that the truth will eventually come out.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2017.

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