Guidance
How to document a rights violation before you seek help
A practical checklist for recording dates, authorities, and evidence — so any desk that assists you can work from facts rather than recollection.
People often arrive at a help desk with a clear sense of injustice and a thin paper trail. That is not a moral failing. Most violations happen under pressure, and the first instinct is to get through the day — not to archive it.
Still, the quality of any later assistance — whether from ACHRC, a lawyer, a commission, or a court — rises or falls on what can be shown. Documentation is not bureaucracy. It is how a private grievance becomes a public fact.
Capture the skeleton first
Within 24 hours if you can, write down:
- When — date and approximate time of each incident.
- Where — office, ward, village, online portal, phone call.
- Who — name or designation of the person involved; if unknown, describe the counter, vehicle, or portal used.
- What was asked or denied — service, payment, document, access, protection.
- What you did next — complaint number, email sent, visit logged.
Use plain language. “Asked for ₹500 to process the application” is stronger than “corruption happened.”
Keep the artefacts
Preserve, do not edit:
- Screenshots of portals and chats (include the URL and timestamp where possible)
- Receipts, challans, acknowledgements
- Copies of applications and replies
- Audio only where lawful and necessary — prefer written records
Store originals separately from working copies. Do not annotate the only copy you have.
Sequence matters
A chronology is more persuasive than a pile. Number events. Note gaps honestly (“I do not remember the officer’s name”). Gaps that you admit are more credible than gaps you invent.
What ACHRC does with this
Our legal aid and grievance desks ask for a chronology before advice. We do not take custody of your original papers unless you expressly ask us to hold a copy for safekeeping, and even then the ownership of the case remains yours.
If you are in immediate danger, contact emergency services and the competent statutory authority first. Documentation can wait until you are safe.
Start tonight
Open a note on your phone titled with today’s date. Write five lines. Tomorrow, add the artefacts. That single habit converts fear into a file — and a file is something a forum can read.