The Suprme Court Order on Sodi Sambo of Chattisgarh
Tags: Supreme Court Order, Sodi Sambo Case, Chhattisgarh Tribal Rights, PUCL and PUDR, Right to Health India, Police Detention Issues, Human Rights Violations, Medical Treatment Rights
Related Issue: Right to Life and Personal Liberty, Right to Health, Right to Freedom of Movement, Right to Protection Against Arbitrary Detention, Right to Dignity, Right to Access Justice, Right to Equality Before Law
The Supreme Court today- 7 January, directed the State of Chhattisgarh not to obstruct or create any obstacle in Sodi Sambo coming to Delhi for treatment at St. Stephens Hospital. The court was hearing an application moved by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR). Advocates Colin Gonsalves and Divya Jyoti represented the petitioners.
The application was moved in case of emergency situation that has arisen with respect to Sodi Sambo’s medical treatment. Sodi Sambo, aged 28 years, is a tribal woman from village Gompad, in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. She has 4 children. Security forces shot her in her leg on 01.10.09.
Her medical situation is precarious. Some 2-3 inches of the tibia bone is missing in her leg.
From 20th October 2009, Sodi Sambo was admitted in St Stephen’s Hospital, Delhi. After undergoing preliminary test, she was operated as an emergency case late at night on that day and rods were inserted in her leg after removing parts of the bone that were crushed in the gun-shot injury.
The doctors at St Stephen’s Hospital had instructed Sodi Sambo to return to St. Stephen’s Hospital after about around of the end of the year 2009 in order to continue her treatment, which would require more surgical interventions.
On the night of 2nd January 2010, Sambo was put on a bus to Raipur. After police surrounded the bus thrice, those accompanying her brought her back. The next morning when Himanshu Kumar, a noted Gandhian from Dantewada escorted Sambo, a vehicle with policemen followed their vehicle. On reaching Kanker town they stopped for food around noon. Police accosted them and brought them to Kanker police station. They were detained there till for the rest of the day till 06:30 pm. When organisations from across the country started making protest calls to the state government, police responded that Himanshu Kumar was free to leave, but that the Dantewada police needed Sambo for recording her statement. A need that the police discovered only when Sambo embarked on her journey to the hospital after staying a month in Dantewada town! Sodi Sambo was taken by the Police after 07:00 pm on 03.01.2010 in the guise of recording her statement, thus jeopardising her health and recovery. Later she was reportedly admitted in a local hospital by the police that did not let anybody visit her. Practically she was put under hospital arrest without being letting her go to Delhi.
Pushkar Raj, General Secretary, PUCL