NHRC issues notice to U.P. govt., police over murder of rape victim

Pointing to the ‘disreputable law and order situation’ in the State, Commission says ‘perpetrators are committing crimes with impunity’

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) after a Dalit minor, who had been raped in Bulandshahr on November 14, was killed by relatives of the accused, while the local police was aware of the threats to her family.

Taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Hindu on November 18, the NHRC said the case was not the first of its kind in U.P. and pointed towards the “disreputable law and order situation” in the State.

The victim was allegedly raped by the caretaker of an orchard on November 14. After facing threats to withdraw the case, she was set on fire by the accused’s relatives. She passed away at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital on November 17 after being referred there with 65% burns.

“The Commission has gone through the contents of the news report, which if true, raise a very serious issue of violation of human rights…It clearly indicates towards the disreputable law and order situation in the State. The perpetrators are committing crimes with impunity,” the NHRC proceedings on November 18 said.

The NHRC observed that the authorities had failed to provide security to the witnesses and victims of crimes. The NHRC also said people from vulnerable groups, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and women, were being “regularly targeted” in U.P., and the government had failed to give citizens a safe environment. The Commission ordered the sending of notices to the Chief Secretary and DGP, seeking their responses within two weeks.

Source: Read Full Article