As per reports, Federation for Human Rights (FPR) urged the government of Puducherry to introduce “Human Rights Curriculum” in the school curriculum in the Union Territory. Secretary G Sugumaran said that various organizations had already made the demand before and the NGO ‘HOPE’ had prepared textbooks with the help of experts.
Considering the fact that it is an attempt to influence the minds of children, we decided to investigate the background of the NGO. In 2011, the FPR had urged the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, to prevent the execution of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s killers.
Links with organizations linked to ‘Urban Naxals’
The organization also appears to have participated in the inaugural conference of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP), an organization with intimate links to alleged Naxals, as is evident from the page on their website.
The above statement is undersigned by Surendra Mohan, A Marx, Amit Bhattacharyya, SAR Geelani, GN Saibaba, Rona Wilson. Geelani’s reputation is quite well known. S Gurumaran, the secretary of FPR, has worked extensively with A Marx and even visited together Ayodhya for an “on spot study” of the matter. A Marx is associated with the PUHR, an organization whose Haryana chapter is a member organization of the CDRO. The PUHR and FPR also released a book together titled “Beyond Violence and Non-Violence” written by K Balagopal.
NCHRO
Rona Wilson is one of the alleged Urban Naxals arrested in connection with the violence in Bhima Koregaon and the alleged assassination plot to murder Prime Minister Modi. Arun Ferreira was another person from CRPP who was arrested in the same matter. The CRPP, as we have reported earlier, has extensive links with alleged naxals and separatists. It is also closely linked to the CDRO although it is not directly affiliated with the organization. Secretary of FPR, Sugumaran has also participated in various events with members from the PUCL, a coordinating organization under the CDRO that again has a very dubious record.
A Marx, apparently a close aide of Gurumaran, is also the chairperson of the NCHRO. The NCHRO participated in a protest to demand the release of the arrested ‘Urban Naxals’ along with CDRO, CRPP, NAPM and others. The NCHRO also demanded the closure of the Sterlite unit in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, the closure of which has caused immense distress to those facing the loss of jobs as a result.
Glimpse into FPR’s worldview
Gurumaran of FPR was part of a team comprising of SAR Geelani, Rona Wilson, A Marx, and others that travelled to Jammu and Kashmir for a ‘fact-finding mission’. The findings of the ‘mission’ appear to unequivocally support the separatists as it states, “Whether it is the worker, student, academic, lawyer, trader, peasant, women or children-the people of Jammu & Kashmir are unequivocal in their demand for Azaadi. They say that by brutally beating up the people in the streets, firing at their peaceful demonstrations championing freedom, the Indian State is giving up yet another chance of peacefully resolving the Right to Self-Determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.” The team also strongly condemned the “fascist character of the Indian state.”
Like many such organizations, the FPR also appears to have a special interest in seeking the implementation of the draconian RTE Act that discriminates actively against Hindu-run schools. It urged the Puducherry government in 2017 to ensure strict implementation of the RTE. The organization also demanded that the Aurobindo Ashram be taken over the Puducherry government. After the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists responsible for the Mumbai Terror Attack, FPR demanded that capital punishment be abolished in the country.
Conclusion
The latest demand by the FPR to include “human rights education” in the school curriculum in Puducherry is, thus, an attempt to indoctrinate children in their own controversial ways. The FPR is linked to organizations that do not appear to have the country’s best interests at heart. The conduct of the FPR itself and that of its secretary does not appear conducive for the nation’s interests. Under such circumstances, their attempt to indoctrinate children appears particularly dubious.
