Shruti Nagvanshi: rising child right activist

Shruti was born on 2nd January 1975 in Varanasi city. Her father was a Development Officer in
Life Insurance Company. She is the eldest among four members, namely one brother and three
sisters. She studied up to intermediate (Pre-University studies) at Basant Kanya Vidyalaya
founded by Annie Beasant of the Theosophical Society of India.

Right from her childhood, Shruti used to get disturbed with social anomalies, exploitation and
very specially looking at the big gulf between the rich and the poor where the poor of Varanasi
city go to bed without food. She, in spite of the opposition from her father gave food to the poor
and the deprived.

On 22 Feb. 1992, she got married to Dr.Lenin. After this, in spite of the many pressures from her
in-laws, she daily walked two kilometers to Uday Pratap College and completed her graduation.
In 1994 she along with her husband was expelled from the house by her in-laws and lived in
extreme constraints in a rented room.

From 1996 to 1997 she was the District General Secretary of Bachpan Bachao Andolan ( Save
Childhood Movement), a national movement against child labour. PVCHR was formed in 1996
in collaboration with famous Hindi poet Gyanendra Pati, internationally well known Sarod
maestro Vikash Maharaj, Historian Dr. Mahendra Pratap Singh and Human Rights activist and
her husband Dr. Lenin. The approach of the organization is two-fold: to have a strong grassroots
organization to work for democratic rights of those in marginalized communities and secondly,
to create the structure and dynamics to receive the assistance of national and international
institutions. Although both were born into high castes, they have spent their lives – often at great
risk – fighting for the rights of all. This “peoples’ forum” is located the Uttar Pradesh region of
India. Even though there have been laws against treating people as “untouchables” for decades,
the practice persists and PVCHR is an important force for change.

On 24 Jan 1998, a son was born to Shruti and Lenin and they named him Kabir, the name of the
great poet saint who sang songs on communal harmony and against social evils in the 16th
century.

In 1999, Shruti became the founder trustee and managing trustee of Jan Mitra Nyas(People
Friendly Trust), the governing body for running PVCHR. Shruti is the co-initiator of Jan Mitra
villages, which empower the dalit communities and very specially women and children based on
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of United Nations Assembly of 1948.

Because PVCHR could not take up all the cases of human rights violation of women, Shruti
founded Savitri Ba Phule Women’s Forum. Savitri Ba Phule is the first Indian woman to become
a teacher and founder of the first shelter home for the battered women victims. When her
husband died Savitri went against the social traditions by accompanying the dead body and also
lighted the pyre. The Forum celebrates 10th March as Indian Women’s Day, as this is the death
anniversary of Savitri Ba Phule. Today in UP many other organizations have followed Shruti and
celebrate this day very solemnly.

Savitri Ba Phule Women’s Forum has initiated discussions on caste discrimination, gender
discrimination, patriarchy, Brahminical oppression etc. and thus empowers the women members
to withstand these evils.

Shruti severed District food and supply advisory committee of Varanasi as member appointed by
Governor of UP.

Shruti’s younger sister Anupam, who is a divorcee had to return to her home. Her brother started
troubling her even to the extent of physical violence, for the fear that she would claim for
ancestral property rights, which would be his own if she were to remain in her in laws’ home.
Shruti had to step in against her own brother and take legal action by which today her brother is
out of home and Anupam is living a respectable life herself fighting against social exploitation of
women. Shruti is the model for many women.

During the past eleven years Shruti has taken up around 350 cases on women, children and
Dalits Among these there were interventions by the Government, Commissions and
administration (namely local panchayat administration) on almost three hundred cases. Out of
these some two hundred cases had positive results. These are the cases taken up personally by
her besides many other cases taken up on behalf of her organisation.

On women’s Day in 2003 (8th March), Shruti took up the case of the death of a woman named
Sheela Devi, of Pandeypur falling under Varanasi Cantonment Police station. Sheela Devi
underwent tubectomy operation and due to negligence of the Doctors in the District Government
Hospital, she died. The Chief Medical Superintendent certified that she died of heart attack. But
the post mortem report by Benares Hindu University (BHU) Medical College said that she died
of peritoneal shock due to mesenteric over stretch, which occurred due to the negligence during
the tubectomy operation. Shruti made a fact-finding enquiry and sent the report to National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC). And NHRC issued a notice on this case to Health
Secretary of UP Government at Lucknow. The special Secretary of Health asked the District
Collector of Varanasi to make an enquiry into the death and to take appropriate action. The
allegation was found true through the departmental enquiry instituted by the District Magistrate,
and the matter was noted in the character roll of the two Doctors and the nurses who were the
culprits of this case. Based on this finding and verdict, Shruti filed a case in the consumer court
for compensation on behalf of the widower of the dead woman. The case is progressing at
present in the consumer court.
On 1st September 2003, 27 people belonging to the backward caste of Mataldey village in
Rohaniya police station of Varanasi district were injured when police attacked them on the issue
of a controversy between the upper castes over some land ownership. 28 people were sent to the
jail. Among them three Shruti helped who were economically very poor for getting bail. Shruti
did a fact-finding and the report was sent to NHRC on 27th Oct. 2003. This report was placed
before the NHRC commission on 24th Dec.2003 and NHRC issued notice to Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP), Varanasi. SSP has so far not sent the report, and so Shruti
organized a press conference and other pressure tactics to pressurize the Police Administration to
sent the report at the earliest to NHRC.

Bagwanala Case:

Bagwanala is a slum in the suburb of Varanasi city. The land here belonged to the King of
Varanasi. When zamindari abolition act was being implemented the King donated the land to a
muslim man. The latter gave shelter to people of Rajbhar caste, (a very low Dalit caste). Some
mafia were organizing casino in the place with the support of the local police. The police used to
earn around Rs. 20,000 per month from the casino players and the mafia. Shruti through various
meetings at the Community centre and through community interventions succeeded in putting a
stop to the casino. The police became upset because they were deprived of their income and were
waiting for an opportunity to teach a lesson to Shruti and her supporters in the village.

On 22 July, 2002 Naseem, son of the muslim leader, who had accommodated the Rajbhars in the
slum, came drunk to the slum and made quarrel with the people on the issue of demarcation of
land boundary. He not only desecrated the Shiv Linga, which is sacred to the people of the slum
but also caused harm to it, placed in the community centre. People of the community did beat up
Naseem. The event could have turned into a major communal riot. The activists of communal
parties reached the spot to add fuel to the fire. But Shruti and her colleagues intervened and made
peace in the community. Naseem later brought the police to the village at 11 p.m. at night. The
police too tried to create a communal riot by provoking the villagers with abusive language and
heaping many insults on them. Police scolded Shruti in highly abusive language and threatened
to physically destroy her. On 26th July the community members made protest rallies and
organized press conferences asking the administration to take action against the local police. On
28th of July on the instruction of the SSP, the local police officer called Naseem, Shruti and the
community members for a meeting and made peace and reconciliation and also asked pardon
from Shruti and from the people of community for the police’s misbehavior. Thus Shruti’s
involvement helped in solving the issue relating to the land disputes, casino, and unnecessary
disturbance from police and a communal riot. Now Baghawanala is model for child right centric
ghetto of urban area.
Honour: Ms. Shruti Navanshi, Hari Ram Vanwasi and Father Pramod were honoured by the Dr. P. L. Punia,
Chairperson- National Schedule Caste Commission of India for their extraordinary and courageous work of
Dalit Rights in a camp in the Viswa Jyoti Gurukul Christ Nagar, Varanasi on 11 January, 2011 in a bid to
make the dalits aware of their rights as provided in the in the Indian Constitution.See the Link:
http://www.mynews.in/News/honor_to_dalit_rights_actvists_in_varanasi_by_chairperson_of_national_sc_comm
ission__N334825.html

http://www.pvchr.net/2011/03/honor-to-dalit-rights-actvists-in.html

Contact: SA 4/2 A, Daulatpur, Varanasi (U.P) PIN – 221001,India

Mobile:+91-9935599330

WORKING • From 1996 to 1997 she was the District General Secretary of Bachpan Bachao
EXPERIEN Andolan (Save Childhood Movement), a national movement against child
CE labour.
• 1996 One of the founder of PVCHR
• In 1999 became the managing trustee of Jan Mitra Nyas(People Friendly Trust),
the governing body for running PVCHR.
• July, 2002 involvement helped in solving the issue relating to the land disputes,
casino, and unnecessary disturbance from police and a communal riot.
• Documentation – Steel photography and videography

WORK
NATURE • Child Rights in Baragaon
• Dalits Rights
• Human Rights
• Work on the assignation of women’s Rights.

• Managing trustee Jan Mitra Nyas (People’s friendly trust)

DESIGNATION • Founded Savitri Ba Phule Women's Forum
• Member of Executive Council of Voice of People (VOP)
EDUCATION • Graduation

LANGUAGES English, Hindi & Regional languages.

KNOWN