Human rights defender Mr Ajeet Singh and other members of the human rights organistion Guria have been subjected to acts of intimidation and have received threats against them.

Further Information

Ajeet Singh is the President of Guria, a human rights organisation that fights against the sexual exploitation of women and girls, particularly those forced into prostitution and trafficking.

Guria runs a tuition centre for children in the Panchayat Bhawan community centre in Shivdaspur, Uttar Pradesh. Ajeet Singh is also a member of the Central Advisory Committee on combating child prostitution and trafficking of women and children, and of the State Monitoring Committee for the abolition of child prostitution and the exploitation of women. Front Line previously issued an urgent appeal concerning Ajeet Singh and other members of Guria on 11 March 2009 and 19 August 2008.

On 29 March 2010, at approximately 1pm, staff members of Guria went to the tuition centre in Shivdaspur to discover that the door of the centre had been broken down, leaving the centre completely unprotected.

On 25 March 2010, at approximately 4pm, a group of people entered the tuition centre and verbally abused the people on the premises and threatened to kill them. They also warned the staff members of Guria who were present at the time that they would break the legs and hands of anyone who attempted to continue teaching the children there.

Furthermore, they told staff members to tell Ajeet Singh that he would face dire consequences if he ever went to that area again. The assailants then locked the tuition centre making it inaccessible for the evening classes.

The incident was reported to the Manduadih police station on the same day and later to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Varanasi.

Guria has reportedly rescued approximately 60 young girls from forced prostitution in Shivdaspur. In the course of the legal proceedings against those implicated in the prostitution rings, which are ongoing, and in which members of Guria are acting as witnesses and complainants, the courts have seized some property from the defendants. However, those allegedly behind the prostitution rings remain in the community.

Front Line believes that Ajeet Singh and the other staff members of Guria are being targeted as a direct result of their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights, in particular their efforts to fight against the sexual exploitation of women and children. Front Line fears for the physical and psychological integrity of Ajeet Singh and his fellow members of Guria.