NHRC Notice To Chhattisgarh Govt On Cops Raping, Assaulting Tribal Women

The National Human Rights Commission, in a press release, has said that it found 16 Tribal women prima facie victims of rape, sexual and physical assault by the state police personnel in Chhattisgarh.

The Commission said there were 20 more victims and their statements were yet to be recorded.

The NHRC issued a notice to the Government of Chhattisgarh to show-cause why it should not recommend interim monetary relief of Rs.37 lakh to them.

The commission also observed that even though almost all the victims in these incidents are Tribals, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was not invoked in any of the cases and as a result, the due monetary relief has not been paid to the victims.

It directed the ADGP to get the statement of victims recorded before the magistrate and also to invoke the SC/ST (PoA) Act, in cases where the victims are Tribals.

The commission initiated suo motu proceedings on the basis of news report published in The Indian Express titled "Bijapur: Policemen raped women, indulged in loot".

Notice to Gujarat prison

The commission also took suo motu cognisance of media reports that prisoners belonging to the lower castes were being subjected to grave injustice and discrimination inside the jail.  It issued a notice to the IG (Prisons), Gujarat, calling for a report in the matter within six weeks.

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