E/CN.4/2001/66 page 106 protestors were allegedly raped. The Central Government is said to have instituted an investigation by the CBI which found that the police were guilty of the rape of 7 women and of “misbehaving” with 17 others. In February 1996, the Allahabad High Court reportedly delivered a judgement awarding compensation to the victims. However, in May 1999, in a judgement on several petitions filed in appeal by the accused as well as the Union and Uttar Pradesh state governments, the Supreme Court termed the High Court decision on the waiving of sanction and the granting of compensation “unsustainable” and overturned it. The case is believed to be ongoing. 533. N. Pishakmacha Devi reportedly joined a demonstration in the state of Manipur in February 1996 demanding a judicial enquiry and punitive action against the security forces in the case of the shooting of a schoolboy. Demonstrators were allegedly beaten and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. N. Pishakmacha Devi was herself beaten by the police. 534. On 21 February 1997, villagers from Pawarsakhari village protested by rasta roko (road block) against two state cabinet ministers who were reportedly attempting to by-pass it by using an alternative route. A battalion of the Special Reserve Police (SRP) is said to have arrived and charged at villagers with lathis. Several people were allegedly beaten by members of the battalion and 96 people were detained. During protests which took place on 15 May 1997, the police, including the SRP, are reported to have used excessive force against the protestors. They were reportedly severely beaten. 535. In February 1997, child labour activists reportedly held demonstrations in the streets of Ferozabad, Uttar Pradesh, calling for the immediate implementation of Supreme Court directives passed in December 1996 which upheld the law banning child labour in several industries in India. Following these protest marches, members of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a national organization calling for an end to child labour and affiliated to the South Asia Coalition on Child Servitude, set up a temporary camp outside the office of the District Magistrate, Ferozabad. On the evening of 19 February 1997, the police attacked several of the activists with lathis. Two of the activists, Dilip Sevarthi, head of the Ferozabad unit of the BBA, and Thakur Das, allegedly received severe blows to the head. They were reportedly refused medical treatment from local hospitals and private clinics, which were believed to be acting under instructions from the local authorities. 536. Surinder Oberoi, a journalist, was beaten by police on 27 June 1997 after he directed his photographer to take pictures of the police beating and kicking a woman demonstrator in front of the United Nations Observer Group office in Srinagar. He was allegedly beaten with sticks on his head and shoulders. Around 50 local journalists protesting against this incident on the afternoon of the same day were reportedly tear-gassed and some 20 were said to have been injured in police beatings. 537. On 25 June 1997, between 40 and 50 women reportedly gathered together peacefully in Ghantaghar, Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh to protest against the treatment by police of Zeenat Naaz, President of the Deoband Municipal Board and representative of several local women’s organizations. Around 200 police allegedly charged the protesters. Several of the