By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the State Government to prosecute the fair price shop dealer for denying the17 families in Dongrum locality of Mawsynram village in East Khasi Hills their right to avail food grains supplied by the government in the village.
“We have been briefed by Government officials that both parties have arrived at a compromise. But we have told the Government officials that the licence of the fair price shop dealer should be cancelled and were told that it had been done. Ostracising 17 families because they complained against the fair price shop dealer is illegal,” NHRC Registrar (Law) AK Garg told reporters here on Wednesday.
“We have asked the Government to submit a report on the arrest of the fair price shop dealer,” Garg said.
Meanwhile, he said that the Commission has been told by the State Government that they have already cancelled the license of the fair price shop dealer.
It may be mentioned that the Dorbar Shnong had ostracized the 17 families for filing a Right to Information (RTI) application in relation to the distribution of the PDS items in the village.
Fullmoon Dhar alleged fake encounter
One question that the NHRC was asked by NGOs and the media was on the alleged fake encounter where noted criminal Full Moon Dhar was killed in Jowai and the enquiry into the matter. The Commission’s terse response is that since a one-man judicial inquiry commission is probing into the case, the Commission would not interfere in the matter but would wait for the report of the enquiry commission.
“We will wait for the Commission to submit its report which is constituted as per relevant sections of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952. We do not think it is proper to conduct a parallel inquiry since the inquiry commission constituted by the State Government is still on its job,” NHRC chairman Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said.
He said that they would take a call on this case only after going through the report of the one-man inquiry commission.
NHRC recommends Rs 3 lakh compensation to a victim of a fake police encounter in East Garo Hills
Balakrishnan informed that they have directed the State Government to pay Rs 3 lakh to next of kin of Washington N Marak who was killed during a police encounter at Rongkrekgre village near Williamnagar across the Simsang River under East Garo Hills on January 26 2011.