GUWAHATI, Aug 29: North East human rights groups have mourned the death of Vijay K Nagaraj, former Director of Amnesty International, India.
Vijay died in an accident between Batticaloa from Colombo on August 25.
“During his stint as the Director of Amnesty International India in the turn of the century, he had taken it upon himself to ensure that the human rights violations committed by the Indian state in Northeast India receive all the attention that it deserved.
Despite severe restrictions placed on the work of human rights defenders, he and his colleagues at Amnesty International showed tremendous patience and courage to conduct workshops in different parts of the Northeast, read a joint statement by AmiyaGogoi of AsomMohilaSachetan Mancha, NeinguloKrome of Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, BubumoniGoswami of ManabAdhikarSangramSamiti and BablooLoitongbam of Human Rights Alert.
“Many today will not recall clearly the terror unleashed by the state in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Our organisations lost many members to secret killers and the state machinery. During those desolate days, it meant a lot to have the unqualified support of comrades like Vijay Nagaraj”, it said.
Later, Vijay joined the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and was instrumental in reshaping the structure of the prestigious educational institution.
