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NHRC issues notice to Karnataka govt over farmers’ suicides

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farmers families

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has expressed ‘grave’ concern over alleged farmers’ suicides in Mandya district of Karnataka over low payment by sugar mills and issued a notice to the state government seeking a reply within four weeks.

Mandya, known as the ‘sugar bowl’ of Karnataka, has seen a spate of farmer deaths as the mills were paying them Rs 700-800 per tonne, despite the Chief Minister’s promise of purchasing at Rs 2,500 per tonne, the NHRC said.

The deaths due to suicides by farmers is of grave concern and calls for prompt and quick remedial steps by the government, the rights body said.

It has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka calling for a report in the matter within four weeks.

Referring to a media report in this regard, it said that the “negligence” by the state and Union governments in the matter of fixing fair price, payment of arrears by mills and a sugarcane glut are the main reasons for the sudden spike in the suicides.

(Agencies)

NHRC notice to Andhra Pradesh over assault on labourers

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labourers-Human-Rights

New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notice to the Andhra Pradesh government after some forest officers of the state brutally assaulted labourers from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, an official statement said Tuesday.

According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the victims were extremely poor and were felling trees in a forest situated on the border between the two states in order to earn a livelihood.

“The labourers were unaware that they had been hired by unscrupulous elements to acquire the high-value timber from the forest. The poor villagers were not aware of the legal consequences of their actions,” the NHRC said.

However, the Andhra Pradesh Police brutally assaulted the workers belonging to the border districts of Vellore, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri in northern Tamil Nadu, the commission said, adding that there was a video clip of the entire incident.

“The law enforcement agencies can exercise their powers only in accordance with the provisions of the law. The video clips display a dismal picture of unarmed workers who were made to strip and were brutally attacked by certain persons claiming to be forest officials of Andhra Pradesh,” said the NHRC.

A notice has been issued to the chief secretary and Director General of Police of Andhra Pradesh, calling for a report within four weeks.

(IANS)

NHRC notice to Telangana over suicide of 76 farmers

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suicide-farmers

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sought report from the government of Telangana over the suicide of 76 farmers in the state. The rights body has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Telangana calling for a report in the matter within two weeks.

NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that 76 farmers committed suicide in Telengana State since its formation. “Reportedly, thousands of farmers are caught in a vicious cycle of debts due to low yields or total crop failure and there was constant pressure from moneylenders and when it does not rain and crops start failing, all they can think of is escaping it by taking their own lives,” said NHRC.

The State Government had announced a scheme of waiver of loan to farmers, but, an order issued by it on the 13th August, 2014 stated that the scheme covers only institutional loans and not loans from non-institutional sources.

“The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the farmers,” read the notice.

(IANS)

Fewer undertrials might solve prison overcrowding, says NHRC

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Wrongful Imprisonment

New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice (retd.) K.G. Balakrishnan Thursday said overcrowding in Indian prisons can be reduced if the number of undertrials is brought down.

“If a charge sheet is being filed and there is no indication that the accused may influence witnesses or the evidence, what is the reason of keeping him behind bars,” Balakrishnan told IANS at a two-day national seminar on prison reforms.

He also said steps should be taken to decrease problems in jails. “State governments should invest to build more jails and improve infrastructure,” he said.

Many prision and government officials attended the seminar and informed the participants on the status of the prisons in their respective states.

The seminar will conclude Friday.

(IANS)

NHRC notice to defence ministry over Army killing of two teenage boys in Kashmir

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Hundreds join the funeral prayers of two youths killed in Army firing in Chattergam area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district late Monday evening. Photo: Faisal Khan

Hundreds join the funeral prayers of two youths killed in Army firing in Chattergam area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district late Monday evening. Photo: Faisal Khan

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission Wednesday issued notice to the defence ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir police over the killing of two youths in firing by the Army, said a statement.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the commission issued notice to the secretary, ministry of defence, and the superintendent of police of Budgam district, calling for a response within two weeks.

Two teenage boys – Faisal Yousuf and Mehrajuddin Dar – were killed when army men opened fire on their Maruti car on Nov 3. The slain youth hail from Nowgam area and were friends. Although an army statement said, “The youths were travelling in a car and as claimed by the Army, they did not pay heed to signals to stop at the barriers set up by the security forces,” a government inquiry into the killings has contradicted the claims made by them that the car in which the youths were travelling tried to “sped away” when asked to stop in Chattergam.

As per the inquiry report, five persons were travelling in the car and they were all residents of Nowgam. An eyewitness account recorded by the committee states that the Maruti 800 car was stopped by the Army naka party and it “skidded off the road and hit a pole on the road side”.

“In the meantime one of the detachment of the naka party fired upon the vehicle, resulting into death of Burhan alias Faisal and Mehraj-ud-Din,” the report says.

Two more youths were injured in the firing incident who have been identified as Shakir and Zahid.

Ishfaq Ahmad, quoting his brother, Zahid, told KNS news agency that their car skidded as a speeding load carrier was about to run over them.

“The driver tried to save us and in the process our car ran into an electric pole. All of a sudden, Army started firing,” he said.

The fifth, Basim, emerged unscathed in the attack and ran away from the spot.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah Monday said the victims have “no connection” with the insurgency in the region and his party has demanded revocation of AFSPA, a draconian legislation which provides immunity to government forces from prosecution in civil courts.

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