Guwahati, August 29 (MExN): Representatives of human rights movements from the North East region have expressed sadness at the untimely demise of their long-time comrade, Vijay K. Nagaraj, on August 25. Nagaraj was on his way to conduct a workshop in Batticaloa from Colombo, when the car he was driving met with an accident. A press release from Amiya Gogoi of Asom Mohila Sachetan Mancha, Neingulo Krome of Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, Bubumoni Goswami of Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti and Babloo Loitongbam of Human Rights Alert noted Nagaraj to be a “good friend of the region.” “During his stint as the Director of Amnesty International India in the turn of the century, he had taken it upon himself to ensure that the human rights violations committed by the Indian state in Northeast India receive all the attention that it deserved,” the release noted. “Despite severe restrictions placed on the work of human rights defenders, he and his colleagues at Amnesty International showed tremendous patience and courage to conduct workshops in different parts of the Northeast.” His “openness and humility,” stated the human rights defenders, “endeared him to a lot of activists in the region.” “Never once did he try to preach about human rights ideals and standards from the lofty perch of Amnesty International’s India office. Instead, he listened to our idiosyncratic views and attempted to understand our obdurate positions, as only a friend can,” they recalled. Stating that many today may not recall clearly the terror unleashed by the state in the 1990s and early 2000s, the representatives remembered how their movements had lost many members to secret killers and the state machinery. “During those desolate days, it meant a lot to have the unqualified support of comrades like Vijay Nagaraj.” After he left Amnesty International, Nagaraj went back to work with Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in Rajasthan. A few years later, he joined the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and was instrumental in reshaping the structure of the prestigious educational institution. He then left to work in Geneva, before turning to Colombo to work for Law and Society Trust there. In all these places, he worked tirelessly to make institutions of the state more accountable to the people it often terrorised. “Vijay Nagaraj knew the world needed solidarity to extend from the villages of Devdungri, to the plantations of Sri Lanka and discussion tables in Geneva,” stated the movements’ representatives. “We will do well to remember his dedication and commit ourselves to the spirit of solidarity that he embodied in his lifetime.”
