Ensure public servants behave sensibly while enforcing lockdown: NHRC to Centre

Amid reports of high-handedness by officials while implementing Covid-19 lockdown, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday asked the government to ensure that public servants, including police personnel, behave in a "sensible manner" with people, particularly those belonging to the vulnerable sections.

The direction came after the NHRC took cognisance of communication it received from one of its Special Monitors and human rights activist Maja Daruwala.

"In order to effectively implement the lockdown guidelines, the public servants, including the police personnel, across the country, sometimes under tremendous pressure, tend to deal with the people, especially the ill-informed poor labourers, in a very harsh manner undermining their rights," Daruwala was quoted by the NHRC in a statement as saying.

While acknowledging that the government agencies were "sincerely working" to deal with the "unprecedented" situation, the NHRC said it found it appropriate to bring the issues raised by the complainant to the notice of the Centre.

The Centre should issue "suitable" guidelines, advisory or Standard Operating Procedures to all states and Union Territories emphasising that the public servants should "behave in a sensible manner with the people, particularly belonging to vulnerable sections, respecting human rights relating to their life, liberty and dignity", the NHRC said.

The NHRC statement also said that Daruwala acknowledged that police are "doing many good things" during the lockdown and chopping of a policeman's hand in Punjab is "unforgivable".

"But those, among them, who are using this time to be cruel and harsh must be stopped. Allegedly, those who are illiterate and less informed mainly the poor labourers and daily wages workers etc, are facing extreme difficulties due to shortage of food and other facilities for themselves and their families. They can be asked to stay off the streets with some degree of compassion without being cruel and abusive using excessive force," Daruwala was quoted as saying in her complaint.

Earlier, the NHRC had taken cognisance of a complaint raising the issue of violation of human rights of the people suffering from mental illness during the lockdown.