The Hindu : There is nothing to gloat over State's HR record

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

There is nothing to gloat over State's HR record

By Nagesh Prabhu

Bangalore Dec. 9. Karnataka, which boasts of institutional and administrative reforms in many fields, has little to be proud of in regard to protection of human rights. Despite the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) suggestion, the State Government has not set up a State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

Cases of human rights abuse from the State before the NHRC are on the rise. Speaking on human rights cases from the State in Parliament last week, the Minister of State for Home, Vidyasagar Rao, said the NHRC received 703 complaints during 2001-02. Of them, 403 cases had been disposed of.

Violation of rights in the form of illegal detention, custodial deaths, discrimination against dalits, women, and child labour continues in urban and rural centres.

There is at least one custodial death in the State once in two months. Allegations about police hushing up such cases continue, especially in North Karnataka, and in the rural areas of the State, points out the President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Hasan Mansur.

The National Police Commission, in its report, suggested the setting up of a District Inquiry Authority (DIA) for each district, headed by a judicial officer of the rank of an additional district and sessions judge, to look into allegations of death or serious injury caused while in police custody, rape in police custody, and instances of death of two or more people in police firing. With the completion of the inquiry, the report should be made available to the Government following which the future action - prosecution or proceedings - could be decided. But the State Government has not taken action in this regard so far.

The growing violation of rights is being perpetuated by the power and domination of the State.

The law-enforcers have been bandied as law-breakers; their uniform considered a licence to violate the fundamental rights of human beings, rather than bearing a sense of responsibility in the person wearing it, says Mathews Philip, Executive Director, South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Bangalore.

The police firing at UAS campus in Bangalore, Channapatna, Hubli, and Mandya showed the highhandedness of the police and violation of human rights.

Violence against women and girls is a major health and human rights concern. Women and girls undergo physical and mental abuse in rural areas. Cases like sale of baby girls in Gulbarga District indicates failure of the law-enforcing authorities. And, all this does not reflect well on a civilised society, activists say.

Intellectuals admit that little attention is being paid to protect "second generation of rights" called social and economic rights.

Farmers' suicide and kidney trade make a mockery of the institutional and legal framework. "The prevailing social hierarchical system and gross inequality deprives rights of social and economic justice and equality," says Sony Rajan, human rights activist.

Issues like displacement due to construction of dams have not got into the realm of human rights among the people due to poor information and lack of awareness.

Abuse of rights in the name of development is common in the World Bank-aided projects.

Under the bank-aided Nagarahole Eco Development Project, many tribal people have been evacuated and their culture destroyed.

Similarly, in the bank-aided Upper Krishna Project (UKP) in Bagalkot, many people became landless and adequate compensation was denied to them.

According to the bank document, three-quarters of the displaced households surveyed rated their economic position as worse compared to the situation before the project.

Setting up a human rights commission at the State level will save a lot of money, time, and ensures quick redressal of grievances. So far only six States have set up such commissions. They are Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. Tamil Nadu has also set up district-level human rights courts.

"The State-level commission is an urgent necessity. The NHRC receives thousands of complaints in a year, and it is not proper to expect it to monitor every case of human rights violation through out the country," says Mr. Mathews.

Many NGOs and activists also advocate syllabus on human rights in school and college curriculum to educate people on rights.

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