"Tell me Judge Sahib, where can a woman made helpless by police brutality go?" Soni Sori's letter to Supreme Court

By Dilip -

Letter to Supreme Court Judge via Lawyer

  1. What was the police doing for one and a half years? If they had a warrant for one and a half years, why did they not arrest me? Now the police say that I was always absconding. If this was so, then why didn’t the police people inform the court that I was absconding so that the court could have issued a notice to my education department? On what basis did my education department give me my wages?
  2. Why does the police want to kill me? Even in the protection money case [note kaand], they fired on me on 11-9-2011. Only I know how I saved myself. After that a policeman himself tried to get me entangled in a false case by asking me to flee. I told these things even in the Saket Court. I cried and cried and tried to tell [the court] that the police had tortured me, even showed my earlier wound, and said that I will not go back from Delhi, I will carry on my fight in Delhi court. But even then the Court did not believe me and gave me to the Chhattisgarh police. I want to know from the Supreme Court who is responsible for my current condition? Court? Police? Administration? Government?  Why did SP Ankit Garg and Mankar keep me in remand and torture me physically and mentally after so horrifically giving me electric shocks? Even if I want to, I cannot forget the internal wounds they gave me. If I was guilty, then they should have presented me at court after interrogation. Then the Court would have decided if I was to be punished or not. Judge Sahib, what sort of law is this that an innocent human being is being punished? What is my mistake?
  3. I believe that when Naxalites brutalize us or kill us, and we complain to the government, then the government would help us. But when the government’s people commit atrocities on us, where shall we go and complain? When the government’s functionaries tell us that you cannot complain anywhere because the government and the courts are all under us, tell me Judge Sahib, where can a woman made helpless by police brutality go?
  4. I argued with the Naxalites and raised the tri-colour national flag at my ashram school when some other schools flew a black flag on 15 August. Even on this, SP Ankit Garg swore at me using very bad words and said that “you are an ordinary tribal woman and you talk lofty things about the flag, who do you think you are? [tumhari aukat kya hai?]” Was it my mistake that I had argued using the words of my education and raised the national flag? Judge Sahib, the Naxalism problem cannot be finished by the gun because this will end life itself. But the strength of education is more than the strength of the gun. For so many years I have tried to develop good education in the Naxalite affected area, and I have also been successful because of the strength of this education which has kept the peace in that area. But the police and administration does not want such a peaceful atmosphere and so they have used one excuse or another to put me in jail despite the fact that I am innocent. They have forcibly taken my honor and dignity. Forced my three children to live like orphans. Today my children are without food and water and their mother and father every day. I am unable to do anything for my children. Judge Sahib, what kind of justice is this?
  5. Naxalites use many different ways to cause incidents. When the police received news of some incident, why didn’t they come to my Ashram School Jabeli and enquire whether or not I was in the Ashram on the day of the incident?  Judge Sahib, I am in the middle of 100-150 children, serving my Ashram School Jabeli students night and day. I have always taught these children to speak the truth. My students will never tell a lie. Then why did the police not question these students? The current situation is that the police are making up false cases and presenting them to the Court. If the people who are supposed to teach us about the law are operating on a foundation of lies, then many innocents like me will be made into criminals.
  6. If I was a supporter of Naxalites, then why could I not protect my father’s house and property from being looted by the Naxalites? When the Naxalites shot my father in the leg, and who today is not in a condition to walk, then why could I not save my father from this fate? This truth is well-known to the police and to the court, but they have still blindfolded themselves. My father entered the court and gave testimony, but the court still ignored it. Judge Sahib, where shall I go in this situation? Now my last hope and trust are on the Supreme Court.

Judge Sahib, I have tried to honestly present the truth: 1) Presented evidence in the protection money case [note kaand], where Mankar is the [guilty] policeman; and 2) also tried to present evidence in the other cases, such as the questioning of the Ashram Shaala Students, Education Department Officials, my Pay Slips, and Daily Attendance Register. Where will I get more truth than this to present, the truth is only this much. Judge Sahib, please pay attention my tale of truth, this is my humble request to you.

Sd/-
26-11-2011
Applicant
Mrs. Soni Sori Sodi

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