• Nida Khan, Hindustan Times, Indore

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Indore, India – Nov. 12, 2016: Dalit activist Soni Sori being presented Kunti Mathur award for her contribution to social work at a programme organised at Anand Mohan Mathur Sabhagreh in Indore, India, on Saturday, November 12, 2016. (Photo by Arun Mondhe / HT/ PHOTO) (With Nida story) (With Nida story) (HT/ PHOTO)

The maximum number of undertrials in the country are housed inside the jails of Chhatisgarh, said Dalit activist Soni Sori addressing a function organised to felicitate her in Indore on Saturday.

“Tribal women are the worst victims of police atrocities, they are raped, abused and tortured by the men in uniform,” she said.

“The worst thing is that there is nobody to listen to their grievances and people who listen to them, are put behind the bars or booked in false cases,” said the activist, who herself has been a victim of police torture.

Speaking about Delhi university professor Nandini Sunder– who has been booked for the murder of Shamnath Baghel– Sori said “it is a false case.”

“In interviews to the media, the victim’s wife said she never named anyone in connection with the killing of husband and still police are after Sunder,” she said.

Mentioning that fake encounters and false allegations are very common, she said the government needs to act against injustice being meted out to tribes people.

“I joined politics as I felt that being in a governing body might help improve the situation. But my alliance to these parties is based on the principles which they hold. I want to improve the lot of the tribe people.”

Senior advocate Anand Mohan Mathur, who was also present on the occasion, said there is rampant violation of human rights of Adivasis and Dalits and the government is not supporting support their cause.

Social activists Madhuri Krishnan and Tapan Bhattacharya were also present during the felicitation programme.