Gorakhpur- Seema Gautam, a social activist from Uttar Pradesh, has found herself ensnared in severe legal predicaments due to her relentless fight against the harassment of rural, uneducated women by microfinance companies offering exorbitant loans.

Whether it involves advocating for the rights of poor farmers or staging protests against atrocities committed on Dalits and backward communities, the moment such activities surface, 31-year-old Seema—who hails from Gorakhpur, the hometown of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—becomes gripped by fear of being implicated in more serious charges. She is currently under immense stress, convinced that her efforts to raise her voice against the exploitation of marginalized communities have made her a target of harsh administrative actions.

Seema, the National President of the Ambedkar Jan Morcha since 2019, explains the organization’s mission: "Our objective is to highlight the oppression and demands of Dalits, backward classes, and the underprivileged before the government and administration." Under this banner, she has spearheaded numerous movements for justice and public welfare.

Speaking to The Mooknayak about her challenges, Seema says, “Whenever I speak about or work on issues like atrocities or violence against Dalits and the poor, the authorities either detain me or other members of our organization.”

Revealing the tactics employed by the local administration, she continues, “Whenever they receive information about an upcoming protest or demand, they [the police] detain us 5–7 hours, sometimes even 17 hours, in advance. They keep these detentions under wraps and later register false cases against us. To counter this, we have to approach the courts, where we often secure justice, but at the cost of severe mental, physical, and financial tolls.”

In an emotional recount, Seema shared the hardships of her personal life. Her mother was murdered, and her father passed away in 2010. She is the sole caretaker for her younger siblings. Alongside her social activism, Seema works as an LIC agent to support her family.

"On October 10, 2023, we organized a massive protest in Gorakhpur demanding land for the poor. During this protest, 16–17 people were arrested, and an FIR was filed against us five to six hours later. For two months following the incident, the police continuously raided my house. They detained my family members, my relatives, and even my brother. This is how we were harassed," recalled Seema Gautam, speaking about the events of last year. However, she eventually secured anticipatory bail from the High Court two months later.

Trouble Sparked by Rumors of Microfinance Loan Waivers

On October 14 this year, chaos erupted at Gorakhpur's renowned Gorakhnath Temple when hundreds of women gathered, demanding loan waivers. The women claimed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was waiving loans that day and insisted on being allowed to reach the CM’s camp. The crowd swelled to such an extent that police forces had to be called in to manage the situation.

Women from areas like Campierganj and Maharajganj, associated with self-help groups, flocked to the temple, saying they needed to submit their forms urgently to avoid missing out on the opportunity. Many of them lamented the heavy loans they were burdened with.

When the police investigated how the rumor of loan waivers spread, the women revealed that they had been informed in their villages about the loan forgiveness. After much persuasion and clarification, the women understood that it was a baseless rumor and returned home. A video of the incident also went viral on social media.

Allegations surfaced that members of the Ambedkar Jan Morcha organization had spread this rumor from village to village. The names of the organization’s coordinator, Shravan Kumar Nirala, and its national president, Seema Gautam, were implicated in the matter.

Two FIRs in a Single Month

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Seema highlighted the exploitation of thousands of Dalit, poor, and labor-class women in Gorakhpur’s rural areas. She explained how various microfinance companies had recklessly provided loans to women for small businesses, even to families with no stable income or work. However, when these women failed to pay their loan installments on time, they were subjected to verbal abuse and harassment.

Seema said, "Rural and uneducated women were misled into taking loans with threats like their ration cards would be canceled, they would lose government benefits, or someone else would be given their entitlement. In some cases, loans were issued by misusing their identity documents without their consent."

To investigate the issues Seema highlighted, The Mooknayak examined local news reports and discovered that many families had been devastated by these loans. Despite mortgaging their land, they couldn’t repay the debts. Instances also came to light where fraudulent documents were used to secure loans worth lakhs of rupees, with the perpetrators absconding afterward. This left the burden of repayment on women in the loan groups.

When rumors of loan waivers caused thousands of women to gather in Gorakhpur, the microfinance companies found the perfect opportunity to implicate her.

In the case of these rumors, allegations were made that officials of the Ambedkar Jan Morcha spread false information about loan waivers across villages. Seema Gautam and Shravan Nirala were accused of inciting people to default on loans from microfinance companies. They were also alleged to have charged women ₹500 each for filling out a form promising loan waivers and issuing fake loan waiver certificates with police station seals.

Based on a complaint from Dheeraj Soni, Assistant Vice President of Microfinance Institution Network, the Pharenda police filed an FIR on October 15 against Seema Gautam, Shravan Kumar Nirala, and other unidentified associates under sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 56 of BSN 2023.

The following day, on October 16, Ritu Sahu, Divisional Head of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, filed another FIR against the same individuals at the Gorakhnath police station under similar charges. Currently, Shravan Kumar is in jail.

Reacting to these FIRs, Seema said, "The newspapers claim we were accused of issuing fake loan waiver certificates stamped with a police seal and collecting ₹500 from women. But those making the allegations have not specified which police station’s seal we supposedly used, which women paid us, or which villages we visited to do this."

"Here, Dalits are being oppressed. They are beaten up, and even their complaints are not registered. We are in the Chief Minister’s city, yet we talk about these issues. And because we are Dalits, we are automatically deemed guilty. This is caste-based harassment orchestrated at the behest of the Chief Minister. I have no hope from the Gorakhpur administration," Seema said with a tone of despair.

She added, "I often return home late at night, around 10 or 11 PM. Given the current situation, either I or Shravan Kumar could be killed in a staged encounter. Tomorrow’s newspaper might carry a fabricated story accusing me of running an illegal arms trade under the guise of social work. They will claim I was caught and killed in a police encounter, and that would be the end of my case. This is why I am now appealing to my community to raise their voices in my support."