"Both the local civil administration and the police force need to be compassionate and sensitive to people in distress as they are the first ones people come to for help," Bahuguna said addressing a workshop held by the State Human Rights Commission here.
He said prime importance should be given to protection of the rights of women, elderly and the disabled.
The state government is sensitive towards crime against women, Bahuguna said, adding that cases of women's harassment are being tried in fast track courts.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Judge Gyan Sudha Mishra in her keynote address said sensitivity was the essence of human rights and asked the police not to avoid filing complaints.
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"All aspects of the case ought to be objectively presented before the court. Police must only work as an investigating agency and whether the complaint was right or wrong ought to be left to the magistrate to decide," she said.
For effective implementation of human rights, the basic qualities of sensitivity and objectivity had to be maintained, she said.