Ch'garh forms state, district level human rights protection

Facing criticism over alleged incidents of civil rights violations in insurgency-hit Bastar region, the Chhattisgarh government has constituted human rights protection committees at state and district levels to redress such grievances.
"To resolve the Human Rights related cases and to ensure quick redressal of complainants' grievances, the state government has constituted Human Rights Protection Committee at state and district levels," an official statement said here today.
District-level committees will redress the complaints received in the districts and will make recommendations to state government in the context, it added.
If the district-level committee fails to resolve a case or if in any case complainant is dissatisfied with the action taken by district-level committee, then the State-level Human Right Protection Committee will take such cases into account and do the needful, the release said.

Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), will be the Chairman of State-Level Human Rights Protection Committee whereas Law department officer nominated by Principal Secretary of the Law department, Secretary Home, Secretary Women and Child Development Department, Secretary Tribal Welfare Department, Additional Director General of Police CID, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Naxal Operations) and maximum three prominent citizens or representatives of NGOs nominated by State Government will be the members of this committee.
Likewise, the district-level committees formed in the districts of Bastar Division will be headed by respective District Collectors.

Superintendents of Police (SPs) of respective districts, CEO of Jila Panchayat, Senior Prosecution Officer, Assistant Commissioner Tribal Welfare Department, District Women and Child Development Officer and maximum three prominent citizens nominated by District Collector will be appointed as members of the district level committee, the statement said.

All the complaints pertaining to Human Rights will be redressed by the district-level committee, it added.
Notably two days back, the stategovernment granted leave to controversial Bastar Range IGP S R P Kalluri effective from February 1, 2017 and appointed IPS officer Sundarraj P, who was deputy inspector general SIB (state intelligence branch), as DIG for Bastar region.
Kalluri has beenfacing continuous criticism for alleged fake encounters and targeting local journalists, social and human rights activists through "false" charges.
Bastar police recently came under heat over alleged threat to the social activist Bela Bhatia for leaving her house in Parpa area of Bastar.