NHRC issues notice to Centre, States; seeks reports on farmers stir

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Centre, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh governments and other authorities asking for reports of ongoing farmers agitation against the new farm laws.

The NHRC has asked National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and the Government of India to submit reports with respect to the adverse impact of farmers agitation on various aspects and observance of Covid protocols at the protest sites.

The NHRC has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Director Generals of Police of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Commissioner of Police, Delhi calling upon them to submit their respective Action Taken Reports.

In its notice to the Centre and the States, NHRC said, "The commission has received several complaints regarding the ongoing farmers protest. There are allegations of adverse impact on the industrial units, seriously affecting more than 9000 micro, medium, and large companies. Allegedly, transportation is also adversely impacted, causing the commuters, patients, physically challenged people and senior citizens to suffer due to the heavy congestion on roads".

"There are also reports that people could not travel long distances to reach their destinations due to the ongoing farmers agitation and barricades have been put up on the borders", it added further.

Apart from issuing notices to the Centre and the states, the NHRC has asked the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) to examine the adverse impact of the farmers stir on industrial and commercial activities/production and disruption of transport services on commercial and normal consumers including inconvenience and additional expenditure, etc, and to submit a comprehensive report on the matter by October 10, 2021.

The NHRC issued a fresh reminder in the case of alleged gangrape of human rights activist at the protest site to file the report by October 10 as no report was received from Jhajjar DM.

The NHRC has requested Delhi School of Social Work, University of Delhi, to depute teams to conduct a survey and submit the report assessing the disruption of livelihood, lives of people, impact on the aged and infirm persons due to the protracted agitation by farmers.

The NHRC said that there is an allegation of breach of corona protocols by the agitating farmers at the protest sites. There is further allegation that the inhabitants are not being allowed to move out of their homes due to the blockade of the passage.