​Commission hears cases at Assam and Meghalaya camp sitting

The National Human Rights Commission concluded its two-day open hearing and camp sitting at Guwahati after hearing cases of human rights violations in Assam and Meghalaya.

A total of 43 matters were taken up by the Full Commission and two Division Benches after the inauguration of the program by Justice H.L. Dattu, NHRC Chairperson.

The Full Commission took up issues such as forest rights of Chakma people, a massacre incident which occurred on 2.5.2014, trafficking of girls, child labour Issues, an incident of rape on a tribal minor girl, and denial of basic amenities to the people.

In the Division Bench hearings, the cases of deaths during police action and deaths of persons in custody were taken up.

On the second day, the NHRC had discussions with various NGOs from the states of Assam and Meghalaya on various aspects of human rights violations.

These NGOs invited attention to many areas such as unlawful arrest, handcuffing, maternal heath and other health services, custodial torture and death, low wages in tea gardens, problem of witch hunting, regulatory measures for sale of acid, human trafficking, lack of immediate response by police on FIRs pertaining to missing children, lack of awareness on human rights, and implementation and proper utilisation of the state disaster relief fund.

The NHRC also had detailed interaction with the officials of the two state governments in an effort to sensitize the state machinery about their role to better promote and protect of human rights.

Date: 18 May 2017

Source: National Human Rights Commission of India