Right to life - for Indian Farmers

Every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide. So called economic reforms, including the corporatization of agriculture, trade liberalization and advent of GM seeds have wrecked havoc on small farmers in India. The result is "the LARGEST wave of recorded suicides in HUMAN HISTORY". Despite various promises by the Indian government, the situation is only worsening.

During my last visit to India in the Vidarbha region, otherwise known as the "Suicide-belt", I unexpectedly came across a Government run Autopsy Center. The state of this room shocked me beyond words. I made a video about what I saw and have posted it on my blog and youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHGDSgan1gU&feature=youtu.be- English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3s7Yhge5nw&feature=relmfu - Hindi

http://wethevoicedotorg.blogspot.com/2012/06/this-is-end_05.html - My Blog

What's happening in this video is horrific and a human rights issue as well. Indian Government is a signatory to The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). ESCR has encouraged its member states to take measures to document cases of suicide or reported suicides among vulnerable members of their populations. It is well documented that official data collection on farmer suicides in India is both incomplete and inadequate. This video is one proof of the lackadaisical attitude taken by the Indian Govt when it comes to Autopsies, one of the basic tool in determining and recording the cause of suicide.

We the petitioners, request Mr. P. Chidambaram (Home Minister - India) and Mr. Prithviraj Chavan (Chief Minister - Maharashtra, India) to set-up an inquiry and address the ills of such an abhorrent system of Autopsies.