Agartala: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took a serious view of high incidences of human rights violation cases reported against the personnel of armed forces in the northeastern states in past three years.
A Ministry of Home Affairs report stated that though the number of complaints was drastically declining and on the wane across the country, such incidences had been found soaring in Northeastern states.
“The statistics, however, substantiate the demand for repealing Armed Force Special Power Act, 1957 from the region, as the hill living people of northeast have been demanding withdrawal of the Act to reduce complaints of human rights violation,” said Bijoy Hrankhwal of tribal-based opposition party Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) here today.
He pointed out that the Act was brought into force in the region when extremism had been in the peak but now that the situation had improved, there was no need of such an Act because it emerged as an instrument of harassment of hill people.
According to the report, northeastern states had registered as many as 25 cases of human rights violation against only three in Jammu and Kashmir and only five in rest of the country in 2011.
Similarly, in 2010, it was recorded 29 in Northeast, 18 in Jammu and Kashmir and 10 in the rest of the country against 33 in northeast, 21 in Kashmir and 25 the in rest of the country in 2009.
The report, however, claimed that out of total 169 complaints of human rights violation, the MHA had found 161 cases false and investigation was on against five cases. (UNI)