Board formed to tackle human rights violations by cops

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the police top brass are working together to redress the issue of violations of human rights and harassment by the police at the police station level, commission chairperson Meera Saxena said on Monday.

The move comes in the wake of large-scale complaints filed before the commission about the harassment at the police station level, Saxena said after inaugurating an information board at the Ashoknagar police station in the City.

Instructing the police personnel about the measures to be followed while dealing with complainants and suspects, she said the commission had been frequently receiving complaints of harassment and illegal detention by the police.
 
“A complainant recently who told the SHRC that a complaint was lodged with the police after a family member was abducted. The complainant was shocked to realise later the family member was picked up by the police on the pretext of interrogation,” Saxena said.
“Unfortunately, a large number of people are ignorant about their basic human rights.

Installation of information boards in police stations is a step towards creating awareness about human rights,” Saxena said. The commission has also planned to introduce human rights in the school curriculum, she added.

Many educated people too are ignorant about their basic human rights. They don’t even know about the violation of human rights, she said.

Director General and Inspector General of Police Om Prakash said police personnel were being taught about human rights during their training. The exercise is a continuous process, he said.