Ensure violence ends in Manipur: Human rights panel tells state government

New Delhi:

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday directed the government of Manipur to ensure that no further violence takes place in the strife-torn northeastern state.

In a statement issued late in the evening, the NHRC also asked the state government to inform it about the shelter and rehabilitation of the victims affected by the communal violence.

“The authorities have a mandate to ensure that there is no further violence that resulted in human rights violations,” the human rights panel said.

The NHRC has noted that “in most cases involving human rights violations due to ongoing violence in Manipur State, the action reports requested by it from the state government are awaited”.

“Therefore, it becomes imperative to know what actions have been taken by the concerned authority in the series of incidents that have taken place over a considerable period of time and disturbances continue for quite a long time,” the statement said.

The Commission, without reaching a final decision at this stage on all the complaints it has registered in the series of incidents, would like to know what efforts the authorities have made on various issues, such as the level of compensation awarded to the victims so far, and the number of individuals and family members covered by the compensation scheme, she said.

The NHRC said it also asked about the steps taken to rehabilitate the victims and next of kin of the deceased, and the number of individuals or families of the victims who have been rehabilitated at the time.

Whether the process of merciful employment to the relatives of the deceased, who died as a result of unfortunate violence, has been started or not and what the stage of such a process is, the NHRC has asked.

The Commission also asked about the steps taken by the concerned authorities to “promote harmony and restore common brotherhood” with a view to saving human life and protecting property, both private and public, abjuring violence, particularly against women, and promoting brotherhood and the spirit of brotherhood among the community, the statement said.

The NHRC also expects adequate measures to be taken to prevent the communities from resorting to violence, and to maintain peace, harmony and togetherness to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, one of the important fundamental duties, so enshrined in Article 51(A) of the Constitution, it added.

Without commenting on the measures taken by the authorities, it is ordered to take rehabilitation measures and to continue offering compensation to the victims or their families “uninterruptedly and without any discrimination or arbitrariness”. It also notes that the process will be expedited and that the Commission can expect a comprehensive report on the measures taken within two weeks, the statement said.

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