The following is based on a communication sent by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts to the Government of India on 7 July 2025. The communication remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the Government time to reply. Regrettably, the Government did not reply within this timeframe. If a reply is received, it will be posted on the UN Special Procedures communications database.
Since the communication was sent, the investigation in the main case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Mr. Raghu Midiyami under section 8(1)(3)(5) of Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA) and Section 10, 13(1), 13(2) and Section 40 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) has been completed. Charge sheets under sections 13, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of the UAPA has been submitted to the court by the prosecutor, which will demand to formally accept certain accusations as charges. The trial should begin after the judge decides on this. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on 15 October 2025.
Furthermore, Mr. Midiyami has been arrested in nine additional cases with different accusations, which are believed to be fabricated. All of these cases are based on First Information Reports (FIR) officially registered in 2021, 2022 and 2024, but no attempts to arrest Mr. Midiyami were reportedly made before 2025. Mr. Midiyami has still not received medical treatment for his injury.
Regarding Ms. Suneeta Pottam, on 30 September 2025, a charge sheet was submitted against her under sections 13, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of the UAPA.
At the time of publication, both human rights defenders remain in detention.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the arrest of Adivasi human rights defender Mr. Raghu Midiyami in February 2025 and the re-arrest of woman human rights defender Ms. Suneeta Pottam in April 2025 in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh state.
Mr. Raghu Midiyami is a prominent Adivasi human rights defender who has been actively engaged in organizing peaceful gatherings to safeguard the rights of Adivasi communities in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. He is one of the founding members of the indigenous community organization Moolvasi Bachao Manch (MBM), a platform led by Adivasi youth that since 2021 has advocated for the rights of the Adivasis, documented violations of their human rights by state and non-state actors and led protests against state militarization and forcible acquisition of indigenous lands. Mr. Midiyami played a central role in organizing these peaceful demonstrations addressing human rights issues affecting the community, including land rights, arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings.
Ms. Suneeta Pottam is an Adivasi woman human rights defender and the co-founder of MBM. From a young age, she has been working on the promotion of the rights of Adivasis and the rights of women and girls in India. She has been speaking out about the human rights situation in Chhattisgarh and violations against her community, including extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and sexual violence.
We previously raised concern about the arbitrary arrest and detention of woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam in AL IND 3/2024. We thank the Government for its reply (dated 27 June 2025) to this communication. However, we remain concerned about the ongoing detention of Ms. Pottam and the new accusations brought against her.
Furthermore, multiple prior communications have been addressed to the Indian Government concerning alleged retaliation against human rights defenders promoting the rights of the Adivasis (see AL IND 5/2023, AL IND 14/2021, AL IND 12/2021 and AL IND 10/2021). We thank the Government for its reply to the communication AL IND 10/2021, dated 5 January 2022, and we regret not receiving a reply to the other communications.
ALLEGATIONS
Mr. Raghu Midiyami
In May 2021, following the establishment of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp on a community land, protests began in Silger village, in Sukma District in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh state. Reportedly, the CRPF camp was established without the consent of the village council (Gram Sabha), violating the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act (FRA). On 17 May 2021, the police reportedly fired upon peaceful protesters, killing three people.
Between 2021 and 2024, the MBM organized about 30 peaceful sit-ins and other advocacy actions across the Bastar region, coordinating the community’s resistance to the militarization of Adivasi lands and human rights violations in the area. Mr. Midiyami has reportedly been the target of surveillance and intimidation by the authorities since the start of this mobilization.
On 30 October 2024, the MBM was declared an “unlawful organization” under section 3 of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA). The notification of the ban, which reportedly became known to the public only on 18 November 2024 after being published in the Gazette on 8 November 2024, reportedly cited the platform’s alleged opposition to state-led development initiatives as well as allegations of “threats to public order” and “internal security”.
On 22 November 2024, Mr. Midiyami formally challenged the ban in a letter to the state government, refuting the allegations made against the group, asking for the lifting of the ban, and reiterating the peaceful nature of the activities of MBM.
On 27 February 2025, Mr. Midiyami was forcibly taken into custody by officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while he was undergoing medical treatment at Dantewada District Hospital following a serious road accident. He was reportedly due to sign a petition challenging the ban of MBM on that day, which the High Court later dismissed on 5 May 2025. The arrest is allegedly linked to a First Information Report (FIR) registered in 2023 pertaining to a cash seizure case in which two other MBM members were arrested. However, there is reportedly no factual connection between that case and the allegations against Mr. Midiyami.
The following day, he was brought to court and booked under sections 10, 13(1), 13(2) and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections 8(1), 8(3) and 8(5) of the CSPSA, relating to “membership and management of an unlawful organization”, “committing or abetting unlawful activity” and “raising funds for a terrorist organization”. The arrest memo reportedly cites Mr. Midiyami’s role in forming MBM and using this platform to oppose the establishment of police camps and resist the expansion of state-led projects. It also allegedly notes that his detention is necessary to prevent the continuation of such activities.
Shortly after his arrest, the court was informed of Mr. Midiyami’s medical condition following the accident, and reportedly instructed jail authorities to provide appropriate treatment. However, in the following weeks, Mr. Midiyami’s condition allegedly deteriorated, with the wounds on his legs becoming infected and his finger, crushed in the accident, still requiring surgical intervention.
On 25 March 2025, the NIA requested he remains under police custody for two weeks for further interrogation. On 27 March 2025, doctors at Dimrapal Hospital recommended surgical cleaning and stitching of his wounds, which reportedly did not happen.
On 9 April 2025, the NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, gave Mr. Midiyami seven days police custody. He was transferred to Raipur, Chhattisgarh, despite his continued poor health and untreated injuries from the road accident.
On 24 May 2025, ninety days after Mr. Midiyami’s arrest, the prosecution requested to extend the human rights defender’s pre-trial detention by an additional 90 days under the UAPA. The NIA Special Court reportedly granted the extension on the same day the request was filed. Under the ordinary criminal procedure, authorities are required to complete the investigation and file a charge sheet detailing the specific offences, evidence or alleged act committed by the accused within 90 days from the arrest. In case they fail to do so, the accused becomes entitled to statutory bail. Under the UAPA, however, it is possible to seek an extension of pre-trial detention for up to 180 days, if certain legal safeguards are fulfilled, including the submission of an independent report by the public prosecutor, proof of concrete progress in the investigation, and a justification of why the investigation could not be completed within the given time. In Mr. Midiyami’s case, such requirements were reportedly not complied with, but the extension was granted anyway.
On 25 June 2025, the District Court rejected Mr. Midiyami’s bail application, effectively authorizing his continued pre-trial detention until 31 July 2025, which marks the maximum 180-day limit under the UAPA. Mr. Midiyami’s trial can reportedly only begin after this date.
Mr. Midiyami reportedly continues to be denied access to adequate medical treatment. As a result, his injuries have gotten worse and have begun to heal incorrectly. Mr. Midiyami and his lawyer have reportedly requested prison authorities to facilitate the necessary surgical operation multiple times. Despite this, no steps have reportedly been taken to ensure Mr. Midiyami’s access to appropriate medical treatment.
Ms. Suneeta Pottam
Since 2016, Ms. Pottam has reportedly been subjected to intimidation, harassment and threats of arrest by police on several occasions. Such acts of retaliation were reportedly linked to her human rights work and the exercise of her right to freedom of expression.
On 9 April 2024, plainclothes police officers in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, attempted to drag her towards their vehicle claiming without providing documentation that she had been summoned by their senior officer. They were allegedly from the specialist District Reserve Guard. Ms. Pottam requested the policemen to present a warrant for her arrest, but they failed to provide such document.
On 3 June 2024, the Bijapur District Police raided Ms. Pottam’s residence in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and forcibly arrested her without presenting any warrant nor informing her about why she was being taken. She was brought to a police station in Bijapur, 450 kilometers from Raipur, and subsequently informed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate that five criminal cases had been registered against her. She was remanded in police custody and brought to the women’s prison in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. Seven further accusations were then registered against her, for a total of twelve accusations registered in three separate police stations. The accusations included multiple allegedly baseless allegations, including murder, damage to government property and membership of the Communist Party of India.
In the following months, Ms. Pottam was acquitted in nine of the twelve cases brought against her. Acquittals in the remaining three cases were reportedly expected in the subsequent period. However, she remained in continuous detention in Jagdalpur prison in Chhattisgarh state.
On 3 May 2025, Ms. Pottam was rearrested by the NIA in a new case under the UAPA and the CSPSA, and transferred from prison to police custody. She was remanded to NIA custody until 9 May 2025 for interrogation. The arrest is based on the same FIR from 2023, which has been used to target other human rights defenders, including Mr. Midiyami. The FIR includes offences under sections 10, 13(1), 13(2) and 40 of the UAPA and sections 8(1), 8(3) and 8(5) of the CSPSA. The allegations contained in the arrest memo are similar to those levelled against Mr. Midiyami and reportedly refer to her active membership of the MBM and her mobilization to oppose the establishment of police camps and state-led development projects in Bastar. The document allegedly also states that her arrest is necessary to prevent the re-occurrence of such actions.
The pre-trial detention period under the UAPA is set to expire on 31 July 2025.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express our deep concern about the arrest of Mr. Raghu Midiyami in February 2025 and the re-arrest of Ms. Suneeta Pottam in April 2025 as well as their ongoing detention, which seem to be arbitrary and in retaliation for their legitimate and peaceful human rights work. We fear they have been targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression and right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, with the aim of silencing their denunciation of alleged abuses and human rights violations committed by the State.
We are preoccupied by reports relating to the deteriorating conditions of Mr. Midiyami’s injuries, which could risk resulting in long-term harm if not treated properly, and urge the Government authorities to ensure that he urgently receives appropriate medical treatment.
We are also concerned that these arrests seem to be part of a broader crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders voicing concerns about militarisation and police violence against Adivasi communities, as well as on the broader community and their leaders, who are mobilizing to protect their land and livelihood.
We call on the Government of India to immediately release human rights defenders Mr. Midiyami and Ms. Pottam, withdraw the accusations brought against them, and end the broader crackdown on members of the MBM and civil society in the region.
