NHRC

The NHRC on Saturday said it has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the state's police chief in connection with a fire at the children's ward of a medical college in Jhansi that claimed the lives of 10 newborns. Describing reports of the incident as "disturbing", the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a detailed report within a week. The commission observed that the contents of the reports are "indeed disturbing and indicate negligence" resulting in a "grave violation" of the human rights of the victims as they were in the care of a government institution. In a statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that at least 10 newborns died in the fire that broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College on Friday night. Sixteen babies suffered injuries in the incident, while 37 were rescued safely. Reportedly, police authorities have confirmed that the fire was caused by an ...

The NHRC on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Delhi government, the city police chief, the DDA and the MCD over reports that a five-year-old boy died allegedly after falling into an open drain in Alipur area. This is the fifth such incident in the national capital in the recent past, the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. The human rights panel has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a five-year-old boy died after falling into an open drain in the Alipur area of northwest Delhi on October 7, it said. The contractor, who worked there, had reportedly left the drain open at various places without placing any warning signs, the statement said. The NHRC has observed the contents of the news report about this case and similar incidents in the recent past, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victims due to apparent negligence of the civic authorities. It is indeed very concerning that such incidents indicating ..

The National Human Rights commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Kolkata Police commissioner over the alleged use of excessive and brutal force on August 27 on protesters, who were demonstrating to demand justice for the victim in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case. The NHRC has sought an action-taken report from the police commissioner in two weeks. The notice was issued on Thursday following a complaint from one O P Vyas from the Bharatiya Human Rights Initiative (BHIM). In his complaint, Vyas has alleged that on August 27, during the "Nabanna Abhijan" protests in Kolkata organised by students demanding justice in the RG Kar Medical College case, "police used excessive and brutal force" on the protesters during their peaceful demonstration. "Over 200 students were arrested and subjected to brutal physical assaults, many sustaining serious injuries. This action violated their right to peaceful assembly and reflected a grave disregard for human rights. The complainan

The NHRC on Saturday said it has issued notices to the Delhi government, vice chairman of the DDA and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh authorities in connection with reported incidents of drowning and electrocution in Delhi and neighbouring cities in which several lives have been lost. The reported incidents, as in the recent past, are indicative of the "negligence by the civic authorities, which is a matter of concern", it said in a statement. The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that at least 13 lives were lost in Delhi-NCR including six due to electrocution and four due to drowning after falling into overflowing drains amid heavy rain "magnifying the creaky infrastructure and civic negligence", the rights panel said. Recently, the Commission had also taken suo motu cognisance of two news reports revealing a painful loss of human lives due to drowning and electrocution in the national capital indicating negligence of the authorities, the statement said. The Commissi

The NHRC on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Union health ministry, the Delhi government and the city's police commissioner in connection with the incident of a patient being shot dead inside a hospital here. Issuing the notices, the National Human Rights Commission observed that apart from the medical treatment of the patients, their safety is also a crucial aspect to be looked into by the administration of the government hospitals. In a statement, the rights panel said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a patient was shot dead by assailants inside a ward of the GTB Hospital at Dilshad Garden, Delhi on July 14". According to the media report, carried on July 15, anyone can enter the hospital wards without any restrictions. The security guards do not pay any attention towards the safety and security of patients, the statement said. "Those coming inside the hospital to meet patients are never checked by the security staff. There is no provision of ...

Building a nationwide database and drafting a national policy for protection and rehabilitation of individuals engaged in begging are among the recommendations of an NHRC advisory issued on Friday. The advisory was issued to the Centre and state governments to develop strategies aimed at eliminating the need for begging and enhancing the quality of life for those involved in it, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement. It noted that despite a number of initiatives and welfare programmes implemented by the central and state governments, begging persisted across the country. According to the 2011 census, there were more than 4,13,000 (4.13 lakh) beggars and vagrants in India, it said. In its recommendations, the NHRC asked the authorities to draft a national policy for the protection and rehabilitation of individuals involved in begging to prepare and implement welfare schemes for them with targeted financial assistance, vocational training, poverty alleviatio

The NHRC said on Monday that it has issued notices to the West Bengal government and the state's police chief over reports that a couple was allegedly mercilessly beaten up in a village in Uttar Dinajpur district in full public view by a group of people. The main perpetrator is allegedly associated with "the political party in power in West Bengal" and could be seen in a viral video, severely beating up the couple surrounded by a group of people, as spectators, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a statement. The media report also quoted a video of the incident on social media, it added. The rights panel, looking into the gravity of the issue, has also asked its Director General (Investigation) to "immediately constitute and send a team, headed by an officer, not below the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police, to visit the place of the incident to conduct an on-the-spot fact-finding inquiry in the matter and to submit a report to the Commission, at the earliest,"

The NHRC on Monday said it has issued notices to the Union Labour Ministry and the Tamil Nadu government over reports that a major manufacturer of electronic devices has allegedly "systematically excluded" married women from jobs at its assembly plant in Sriperumbudur. Issuing the notices, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has noted the fact that gender equality is not only required in the Indian Constitution but the international treaty and covenants, viz., International Covenant Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights also provide non-discrimination on the ground of gender in any form of employment. The NHRC has taken "suo motu cognisance of media reports that Foxconn, a major manufacturer of Apple devices has systematically excluded married women from job at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu", it said. It is alleged by a former HR executive at Foxconn that "verbal directions" have been give

NHRC has taken suo-motu cognizance of media reports that Foxconn, a major manufacturer of Apple devices, has systematically excluded married women from jobs at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperu

The NHRC has issued a notice to the Centre over reported "anti-labour practices" at one of the warehouses of a multinational company in Haryana's Manesar, officials on Wednesday said. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers in violation of the labour laws and the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment from time to time. The NHRC in a statement said that it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that at one of the warehouses of a multi-national company in Haryana's Manesar "a 24-year-old worker was asked to pledge that they would not take toilet or water breaks until they finished unloading packages from six trucks, each measuring 24 feet long, after their team's 30-minute tea break had ended". "A female employee at the Manesar warehouse reportedly stated that no restroom facilities are available on the working sites," it ...

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed satisfaction with the progress of the CBI's probe into allegations of crimes against women and land grabbing in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali. The court permitted the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to be added as a party to the case, following its application. Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, along with Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, reviewed the CBI's report and granted the agency's request to keep the details confidential. The court had on April 10 directed the CBI to probe the allegations of crimes against women and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali and directed it to file a progress report on Thursday. The court, which is monitoring the investigation, had also directed the central agency to probe alleged illegal conversion of agricultural land into waterbodies for pisciculture after conducting a thorough inspection of revenue records and physical inspection of land alleged to have been converted. Holding that its presence will assi

The number of technologically advanced forensic laboratories in India needs to be "augmented for expeditious examination", the NHRC said on Wednesday. Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra, during a core group meeting here also said that investigation and forensics examination should be part of the process and "not independent" of each other. The NHRC on Wednesday organised a core group meeting on criminal justice system reforms, the rights panel said in a statement. The focus was on finding ways to address delay in forensic reports, areas of improvement in the prosecution system, and simplification of language used in organs of criminal justice system. During the discussions, it was emphasised that public prosecutors play a very important role at the trial stage and therefore, it is necessary to create a "cadre-based service" of public prosecutors to ensure transparency and merit in their appointment, the statement said. A training academ

General announcement of "freebies" during the elections must be "pondered" as to whether it furthers directive principles or thwarts their objectives, NHRC chairperson Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra said on Tuesday. Mishra said this in his address during an event here. He also said the constitutional mandate is to form a uniform civil code, which is "necessary to abolish discrimination" against women. Women are provided safety, security and dignity in the workplace, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chief was quoted as saying in a statement. "To empower women, we have to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women on the grounds of gender, particularly in respect of education, employment, inheritance and property. World over, women are discriminated against for civil rights, and there is a necessity for a standard civil code to make men and women equal by clearly defining the parameters of gender equality. Women must enjoy social equality, improved status and ...

In a spot inquiry into the Sandeshkhali case in West Bengal, the NHRC has flagged "several instances of atrocities", saying it indicates that there was a "violation of human rights" due to "negligence" in the prevention of such incidents. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in its report, also observed that the "pervasive fear of reprisal, coupled with the power dynamics at play, acted as a formidable barrier", preventing individuals from voicing their grievances. The rights panel has made several recommendations and sought an action taken report (ATR) within eight weeks on each of the recommendations made therein from the government of West Bengal, the NHRC said in a statement on Saturday. "The Commission's spot inquiry has revealed several instances of atrocities inflicted upon the victims, which clearly demonstrate, prima facie, that there was a violation of human rights due to negligence in the prevention of such violation or abatement thereof by the public servant," it

The NHRC has issued a notice to the Andhra Pradesh government and the state's police chief over a college student committing suicide allegedly due to sexual harassment by a faculty member, officials said on Tuesday. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a statement has observed that apparently, the "negligent and reckless attitude of the authorities" of the institution has led to this incident. The Andhra Pradesh Police arrested five people in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday in connection with the death by suicide of the 17-year-old girl, who made sexual harassment allegations against her college officials. She ended her life by jumping to death from a building in the intervening night of March 28 and 29, alleging that some unidentified persons had threatened to post her objectionable pictures on social media. The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that "unable to bear the sexual harassment by a faculty member, a first-year diploma student committed suicide by .

An NHRC team visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Saturday to investigate into allegations of land-grabbing by some TMC leaders. A CPI(M) delegation led by Minakshi Mukhopadhyay also visited the strife-hit region in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal even as an uneasy calm prevailed with police patrolling the area. Mukhopadhyay, along with party leader Palash Das, visited various households and spoke to the locals. ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar also made a visit to the area. Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari likened the situation in Sandeshkhali to Nandigram, where a movement against "forcible" land acquisition by the then Left Front government in 2007-08 catapulted the TMC to power in 2011. "The situation in Sandeshkhali is like Nandigram... people have brought serious allegations of land-grabbing, vote-looting, sexual harassment and murder of democracy in the area," he told reporters in Kolkata. Prohibitory orders under Section 14

The NHRC has sent a notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over reports that an 80-year-old man died at the Mumbai airport after he was refused a wheelchair despite prior request to an airline and forced to walk. Reportedly, the US-based Indian-origin man collapsed after walking for about 1.5 km on the way to the immigration area, the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. He was walking alongside his wife, who was in a wheelchair. The elderly couple was travelling from New York to India, the rights panel said, quoting the report. The NHRC said it "has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that an 80-year-old man died at the Mumbai airport as he had to walk when not provided with a wheelchair despite prior request to the airline." The Commission observed that the content of the media report, if true, raises a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim. It has asked the DGCA for a detail report in four weeks. It should include

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The commission also sought a report from the Karnataka government within four weeks and decided to send its team for a spot inquiry

Terrorism causes grave violation of human rights of citizens in the entire world, and condoning or sympathising with terror acts and terrorists is a "great disservice" to the cause of human rights, NHRC Chairperson Justice (Retd) Arun Kumar Mishra said on Sunday. In his address at an event to mark Human Rights Day at Bharat Mandapam, Justice Mishra also said the ethical ramifications of advancing technologies are "matter of grave concern". The occasion also marked the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was the chief guest at the event hosted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that was attended by several other dignitaries. UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp also was present on the dais. Justice Mishra emphasised that "Universal Declaration of Human Rights contain ideals that conform to our values". He also underlined that a "dramatic rise in inequality" and the triple crisis of climate, biodiversity