Number of rights violation cases rising in Garo Hills
SHILLONG: Despite a series of human rights violations in Garo Hills including the assault on 12 girls in Tura, killing of a mother of four children in Chokpot and the death of two youths in custody, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is yet to give any direction to Anil Pradhan, its Special Rapporteur for the Northeastern states including Sikkim, to probe these cases.
Pradhan, a former Meghalaya DGP, was appointed Special Rapporteur of NHRC for North East Zone (Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim).
However, after his appointment not a single case of human rights violations in Meghalaya has been taken up in the absence of any direction from NHRC.
When contacted, Pradhan said the NHRC had not given any direction to him to inquire into the cases of human rights violations in Garo Hills.
“I can take up the task only when any direction comes from NHRC,” he said.
To a question on whether suo moto cases can be taken up on the human rights violations, Pradhan said, “We are only Rapporteurs and instructions should come from NHRC”.
He, however, expressed concern over the reports of human rights violations from Garo Hills.
“The reports of the magisterial inquiry and that of the State women commission into the assault on 12 women in Garo Hills are already out and it is unfortunate that such incidents are taking place in Garo Hills,” Pradhan said.
Militant body remains unclaimed: Meanwhile, the body of the militant identified as Ganesh Kr Roy who was killed during an exchange of fire between Police and ULFA-GNLA combine is still lying unclaimed at the morgue of Tura Civil Hospital, Our Tura Correspondent adds.
Informing this, police sources said the deceased was killed on the spot during an exchange of fire between Police, GNLA and ULFA militants at Rongmachokgre and Darekgre areas under Dadenggre Police Station on June 26 last at around 10:30am.