Democracy should be committed to concern for poor people's rights

The Times of India reports the suicide of an Indian post-graduate in social work, Pankaj Wankari, after he became involved with Naxalites (a Maoist splinter group of the former Indian communist parties). He had been arrested and was interrogated by the Police (although he was not abused and he was not arrested or charged with any offence). It seems he had unknowingly had contact with the people engaged in Naxalite campaigning. His suicide note said: ‘It was my simplicity that others took advantage of and so I am…’

According to his brother, his commitment was ‘to work for spreading awareness among the poor about their rights’. It’s a pity that that kind of personal and professional commitment, natural for any social worker you would have thought, gets picked up by people with a more disruptive ideology. It's not simplicity to seek justice for poor people.

But it’s also a problem for democratic regimes that their lack of action on about poor people’s rights allows extremist political positions to seem the only recourse, when poor people’s rights and needs ought to be a natural concern for people of all political positions.

The Times if India article here: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-14/nagpur/31164558_1_pankaj-chandrapur-police-korchi-dalam