Himanshu Kumar is an Indian Gandhian activist, best known for his activism for the tribal communities of the Indian state of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

. He founded a non-profit organization named Vanvasi Chetna Ashram in Dantewada district (now

Sukma district Sukma district is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is located in the Bastar region, known for its tribal culture. Sukma district borders with Odisha ( Malkangiri district), Telangana (Bhadradri Kothagudem distric ...

) of Chhattisgarh, which he ran from 1992 to 2009.

Biography

Kumar was born in

Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar (, ) is a city under Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/Dehradun National Highway ( NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and both his parents were freedom fighters. He grew up in Gandhi Ashram,

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Prakashbhai Sharma, worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. After visiting Dantewada in 1988 with activist

Nirmala Deshpande Nirmala Deshpande (17 October 1929 – 1 May 2008) () was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhi and philosophy. She devoted her adult life to the promotion of communal harmony and service to women, tribal people, and the disp ...

and his father, he decided to move to Dantewada with his wife in 1992 and founded the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram along with her. The ashram worked to educate the tribals about their legal rights. The ashram was demolished on 17 May 2009 by the police. Over the years, he extensively worked in the

Bastar district Bastar is a district in the state of Chhattisgarh in Central India. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters. Bastar is bounded on the northwest by Narayanpur District, on the north by Kondagaon district, on the east by Nabarangpur and Koraput ...

with the government to raise awareness on malaria & literacy, and against the government over alleged human rights violations, especially during the Salwa Judum movement. Over the years, Kumar has filed over 519 petitions related to alleged fake encounters, rape, and loot by the Indian security forces.

Chhattisgarh tribals killing case

In 2009, Kumar, along with 12 tribals, filed a

Public Interest Litigation The chief instrument through which judicial activism has flourished in India is public interest litigation (PIL) or social action litigation (SAL). It refers to litigation undertaken to secure public interest and demonstrates the availability ...

with the Supreme Court of India to investigate the alleged killing of 17 tribals from the Dantewada district (now Sukma district) by

Chhattisgarh Police The Chhattisgarh Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Chhattisgarh in India. The agency is administered by the Department of Home Affairs of the Government of Chhattisgarh. The force has specialized units to fight the Naxalit ...

as a part of Operation Green Hunt in September and October 2009. The petition sought an independent inquiry into the killings while also asking the court to direct the government to provide compensation to the kin of the deceased. On 14 July 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Kumar. The court cited the first information reports and the chargesheets filed in the case and noted that the tribals were killed by Maoists. Kumar refused to pay the fine and said "I will not pay the fine as I have not done anything wrong."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Himanshu Indian activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)