42–45 Assam Police encounter cases registered with NHRC: Justice Arun Mishra
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) chairperson Justice Arun Mishra informed the media that the Assam Police had 40–45 cases of encounter registered with the NHRC from 2018–2023. He said that normally, the NHRC used to seek the report of every encounter registered within 48 hours; the Assam Police submitted the reports, and they would have to submit the inquiry reports of the encounters.
Justice Mishra addressed the media here today after the two-day (November 16–17) camp sitting during which the rights body registered 56 cases of human rights violations in the north-eastern states. The outcome of the camp sitting is such that the governments have either paid or are in the process of paying compensations amounting to Rs 355.50 lakh to the parties affected by the violation of human rights. The cases include the rape of a 16-year-old tribal girl in Kokrajhar town; the deaths of 57 people, injuries to 18, and the missing of four due to negligence of NF Railway in construction of railway track and tunnels to connect Jiribam with Imphal; the alleged failure of Arunachal Pradesh to pay compensation to 108 Chakma and Hajong families affected in the ‘132-KV T/L Namsai-Miao project’ in the Changlang district; the erosion of two backward tribal Buddhist villages under the Margherita subdivision in the Tinsukia district, etc.
During the sitting camp, the NHRC stressed to the state governments in the Northeast to provide infrastructure to their respective state human rights commissions and to fill up the vacant posts on priority for their smooth functioning.
The NHRC chairperson asked the chief secretaries, DGPs, and chairpersons of the state human rights commissions of the states of the region to submit action-taken reports on various advisories of the NHRC, such as mental health, police encounters, bonded labour, the right to food and safety, the prevention of suicides in judicial and police custody, etc.
Justice Mishra also asked the state governments of the Northeast to submit compliance reports of cases pending with the NHRC on time, especially in alleged and proven cases of human rights violations of individuals.
The commission also interacted with NGOs and human rights defenders (HRD).
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