Navleen Kumar was a human rights activist in Maharashtra, India. She was murdered on 19 June 2002 in her apartment building in Mumbai.Bavadam, Lyla

FrontlineOnNet. Volume 19. Issue 16. 3–16 August 2002.

Career

Navleen worked for more than a decade to protect and restore the lands of the indigenous Adavasi people in the

Thane district Thane district (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a districts of Maharashtra, district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the c ...

through legal intervention. Places in the district, including

Nalasopara Nallasopara or Nala Sopara (pronunciation: aːla sopaɾa formerly known as Sopara or Supara, is a city within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The city lies in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India, and is governed by Vasai-Virar Municip ...

Virar Virar (Pronunciation: �iɾaːɾ is a coastal city in Palghar district, Maharashtra. The northern third of the city of Vasai-Virar, it is administered by Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. It lies to the south of Palghar district, and to t ...

and

Vasai Vasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation: �əsəi British English: Bassein; formerly and alternatively Marathi; ''Bajipur'') is a historical place and city located in Palghar district; it was partitioned out of the Thane district in 2014. It ...

, experienced rapid suburban expansion from Mumbai. Allegedly, land and property developers were using coercion and intimidation to get land transferred from locals. During the course of her work, Navleen received numerous threats, including one months before her murder. At approximately 07:30 IST (02:00 UTC) on 19 June, while she was walking her dogs on the terrace of her apartment building, a group of men with knives attacked her. She received 19 stab wounds and died at the scene. One of her dogs sustained knife injuries as it tried to save her. The dog, however, survived. Her husband, journalist Murali Kumar, was murdered later, reportedly by members of the same group. These killers were never apprehended.

Aftermath

Following her killing, noted civil society members and human rights activists from different parts of India continuously campaigned for justice for Navleen Kumar. They wrote a public letter to then Chief Minister of Maharashtra,

Vilasrao Deshmukh Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh (26 May 1945 – 14 August 2012) was an Indian politician who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, first term from 18 October 1999 to 16 January 2003 and second term, from 1 November 2004 to 5 De ...

, drawing his attention to the killing and demanding justice. In January 2003, Kumar was posthumously awarded a sum of one hundred thousand Indian rupees (approximately US$2100) by the Public Concern for Governance Trust, an organization that annually confers awards for fighting injustice and exploitation."Urgent Appeal Updates... Murder of Land Rights Activist UA 020711(7)"
ACPP.org. Retrieved 16 August 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Navleen 1940s births 2002 deaths Indian women activists Indian human rights activists Indian murder victims Adivasi activists 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people Activists from Mumbai Women from Maharashtra People murdered in Mumbai