Woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam arrested by the National Investigation Agency
On 3 May 2025, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrested woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam and took her into police custody until 9 May 2025. Suneeta Pottam was initially arrested by the Chhattisgargh police in June 2024 under twelve criminal cases and held at the Jagdalpur jail in Chhattisgargh for nearly one year. The NIA arrest which includes offences under the counter-terror law – the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) will prolong her incarceration, even if she is cleared in the existing cases filed by the Chhattisgarh police.
On 3 June 2024, Chhattisgargh police arrested woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam from a women’s collective in Raipur, Chhatisgargh state. The woman human rights defender has been arrested under multiple cases and is accused of being involved with the banned Communitst Party of India (Maoist). In the evening of 3 June, Suneeta Pottam was presented before the Bijapur Magistrate Court and remanded at the Jagdalpur jail in Chhatisgargh.
Suneeta Pottam is a woman human rights defender who has campaigned tirelessly against systemic violations against the Adivasi community and to promote the rights of women and girls in Chhattisgargh. She is a member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Chhattisgarh, and has been involved with the Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) since 2015. Along with other Adivasi leaders, Suneeta Pottam founded the Mulwasi Bachao Manch, an Adivasi Youth Forum which documents human rights violations by the State and campaigns peacefully for rights and justice for the local community. The woman human rights defender has also been at the forefront of ongoing peaceful protests in several districts of Chhattisgarh, demanding constitutionally guaranteed rights of Adivasis and opposing the human rights implications of corporate mining and militarization in the region. In 2016, she filed a petition at the Chhattisgarh High Court against extrajudicial executions of civilians by armed forced in Bijapur District. The woman human rights defender has faced repeated threats from the police and state authorities due to her work.
On 3 May 2025, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam. She was transferred from prison to police custody, where she is expected to be held until 9 May 2025. Suneeta Pottam was initially arrested by the Chhattisgargh police in June 2024 for twelve criminal cases and, until 3 May, has been detained in Jagdalpur prison in Chhattisgargh. The recent arrest by the NIA is under the counter terror law – the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and is likely to prolong her incarceration, even if she is cleared in the existing cases filed by the Chhattisgarh police in 2024.
Suneeta Pottam is a woman human rights defender who advocates against state violence against Adivasi communities in Chhattisgargh such as mass arrests, custodial torture and sexual violence against women and girls. She is a founding member of an Adivasi Youth Forum – the Mulwasi Bachao Manch which documents and campaigns against corporatisation, militarisation, and violations against Adivasi people in the state. She is also a member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Chhattisgarh, and has been involved with the Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) since 2015. She filed a petition in 2015 before the Chhattisgarh High Court against extrajudicial executions of civilians by armed forces in the Bijapur District.
On 3 May 2025, Suneeta Pottam was arrested by the NIA and transferred from Jagdalpur prison to police custody until 9 May. The arrest is based on a First Information Report (FIR) initially filed in 2023, which includes offences under Sections 10, 13(1)(2) and 40 of the UAPA. The same FIR has been used to target other human rights defenders including Raghu Midiyami, the former president of the Mulwasi Bachao Manch (MBM), who was arrested on 27 February 2025. Indian authorities banned MBM in October 2024 and have escalated reprisals against its members, falsely accusing them of supporting the Communist Party of India (Maoist). In addition to banning the human rights organisation, authorities are intent on punishing all those associated with it, and quashing any space for civic protest or peaceful campaigns against state policies that oppress local communities’ rights.
In June 2024, authorities arrested Suneeta Pottam by violently dragging her out of her residence and forcing her into an unmarked vehicle. Officials registered twelve cases against her in three police stations, and subsequently detained her in Jagdalpur prison. At the time of writing, the woman human rights defender has been cleared in at least nine of the cases filed against her in 2024. Her arrest is part of a pattern of reprisals against human rights defenders speaking out for social justice issues and against militarisation and police violence against Adivasi communities who are struggling to protect their land, livelihood, and environment from large-scale development projects. Suneeta Pottam and human rights defenders who document and report human rights violations and mobilise among communities are framed as militants and accused of operating front organisations and movements that support militancy. The space for freedom of expression, peaceful mobilisation, and civic engagement to protect rights is rapidly shrinking with devastating consequences for communities and human rights defenders on the ground.
Suneeta Pottam has faced reprisals due to her human rights work since 2015 including false criminal cases, threats, misinformation and disinformation accusing her of being anti-state and a terrorist. The threats have continued despite directives in 2018 and 2021 from the National Human Rights Commission to the police to ensure that Suneeta Pottam is not unlawfully harassed and that her rights are protected. In February 2024, Suneeta Pottam narrowly escaped an attempted abduction by a police officer while she was visiting the Bijapur District Hospital. The increased targeting in 2024 is linked to her criticism of police violence against peaceful protesters, including the killing of a 6-month old baby by the police.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned over the arrest and detention of Suneeta Pottam, as it appears to be a direct reprisal for her legitimate and peaceful human rights work. The organisation has raised concerns regarding her arrest in June 2024 and called for her immediate release. Front Line Defenders asserts that Suneeta Pottam’s arrest follows a pattern of reprisals against human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh and those voicing legitimate dissent against state policies. The organisation strongly condemns the targeting of Suneeta Pottam and her arrest under the UAPA which is likely to result in her prolonged incarceration.
Front Line Defenders urges authorities in India to:
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Immediately and unconditionally release Suneeta Pottam and quash the charges against her;
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Guarantee under all circumstances that Suneeta Pottam is not subjected to torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment while in custody of the police;
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Guarantee under all circumstances that human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh are able to exercise their legitimate and peaceful human rights work without fear of reprisals.
On 3 June 2024, Chhattisgargh police arrested woman human rights defender Suneeta Pottam from a women’s collective in Raipur, Chhatisgargh state. The woman human rights defender has been arrested under multiple cases and is accused of being involved with the banned Communitst Party of India (Maoist). In the evening of 3 June, Suneeta Pottam was presented before the Bijapur Magistrate Court and remanded at the Jagdalpur jail in Chhatisgargh.
Suneeta Pottam is a woman human rights defender who has campaigned tirelessly against systemic violations against the Adivasi community and to promote the rights of women and girls in Chhattisgargh. She is a member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Chhattisgarh, and has been involved with the Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) since 2015. Along with other Adivasi leaders, Suneeta Pottam founded the Mulwasi Bachao Manch, an Adivasi Youth Forum which documents human rights violations by the State and campaigns peacefully for rights and justice for the local community. The woman human rights defender has also been at the forefront of ongoing peaceful protests in several districts of Chhattisgarh, demanding constitutionally guaranteed rights of Adivasis and opposing the human rights implications of corporate mining and militarization in the region. In 2016, she filed a petition at the Chhattisgarh High Court against extrajudicial executions of civilians by armed forced in Bijapur District. The woman human rights defender has faced repeated threats from the police and state authorities due to her work.
On 3 June 2024, Suneeta Pottam was arrested by Chhattisgargh police in a women’s hostel in Raipur, Chhatisgargh. The woman human rights defender had been living in Raipur temporarily in order to prepare for an examination at the time of her arrest. At approximately 8.30 pm on 3 June, Bijapur district police forcibly dragged Sunita Pottam out of the residence and forced her into an unmarked vehicle. No warrant was produced at the time of her arrest. The woman human rights defender was reportedly dragged accross the floor, slapped and beaten on her legs and thighs. She was denied even the most basic rights during her arrest. Two of the woman human rights defenders colleagues who witnessed the incident were forced into a room by police and the premises were locked from the outside. A shortwhile later, the Bijapur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) returned to the residence and showed her colleagues a warrant for her arrest, but refused to provide them with a copy of the document.
The police in their press release have accused Suneeta Pottam of maintaining links with banned Maoist groups and state that they have registered 12 cases against her in three police stations. The offences mentioned are serious, and include murder, attempt to murder, provocative speeches and causing damage to government property. False allegations of militancy and being involved with the banned CPI(M) is a common accusation used to silence and discredit the work of human rights defenders, especially Dalit and indigenous rights defenders in India. So far, five legal cases have been raised before the Bijapur Magistrates Court following her arrest on 3 June 2024.
Suneeta Pottam has been targeted previously due to her human rights work. The 24 year old woman human rights defender faced repeated harassment, threats, both misinformation and disinformation over the years accusing her of being anti-state or a terrorist since 2015. In each instance, the reason for her targeting was due to her work and campaigns for indigenous rights, and her opposition to systemic violations, corporatization and militarization. In February 2024, the woman human rights defender escaped an attempted abduction by a policemen while she was visiting Bijapur District Hospital. Suneeta Pottam ran into a nearby shop where several journalists intervened and asked the police officer to produce an arrest warrant if he wished to arrest the woman defender. The incident was a reprisal against Suneeta Pottam’s public statements condemning rising human rights violations, including extra judicial killings in the State, especially the killing of a 6 month old baby by armed forces in January 2024.
Previously in 2018, folllowing the threat of false cases and disinformation, the National Human Rights Commission ordered local police to ensure the protection of the woman human rights defender. However, the threats against Suneeta Pottam continued, despite this order and acknowledgement of the persecution and reprisals that she faced. Following a false criminal case filed against her in 2020, the National Human Rights Commission once again issued an order in January 2021, directed local authorities to ensure that Suneeta Pottam is not unlawfully harassed and that her rights are protected. Despite the threats, the woman human rights defender continued to her campaigns and advocacy, resulting in escalating reprisals and her present arrest.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned regarding the arrest and detention of Suneeta Pottam, as it believes it to be a direct reprisal for her legitimate and peaceful human rights work. Her arrest comes months after the arrests of human rights defenders Surju Tekam, Shankar Kashyap, Samlu Koram, Ranu Podyam and Lakhma Koram in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, who have all been accused of having Maoist links in order to undermine their struggles for the rights of Adivasis in the region. Suneeta Pottam’s arrest follows a pattern similar to the unjust incarceration of women and indigenous human rights defenders Hidme Markam and Soni Sori, who were both later acquitted of the charges levied against them. Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the targeting of Suneeta Pottam and other human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh.
Front Line Defenders urges authorities in India to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Suneeta Pottam and quash the charges against her;
- Guarantee under all circumstances that Suneeta Pottam is not subjected to torture or any other form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment while in custody of the police;
- Guarantee under all circumstances that human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh are able to carry on their legitimate and peaceful human rights work without fear of reprisals
