More atrocities against SCs in rural areas, says NRHC

"..Real problems lie in villages. There is a need to reach out to villages.We want to reach the villages. After all, the very purpose of human rights is to give voice to the poor person, whose voice is not heard," NHRC Chairman Justice K G Balakrishnan said.

He was here to inaugurate the open hearing of matters connected to atrocities against SC from the state.

The former Chief Justice of India said the purpose of the Commission was to give SCs "their voice, to assert their rights. That is the purpose of our vision. We have been going to Assam, Meghalaya, Gujarat and other states to understand the problems of the poor marginalised sections of the state."

He said 99 per cent of the recommendations of the NHRC were e complied with by various state governments and he was happy about it.

NHRC's outreach to cover as many states as possible were part of the recommendations made by K B Saxena in his report commissioned by NHRC on continuing problems faced by the SCs.

"..Saxena found that the existing delivery mechanism for those policies and programmes for Scheduled Castes has not found sincerity expected at various levels. He also found that the civil society, by and large, continues to be hostile to the Scheduled Castes more often in rural areas and less demonstratively in urban areas..," he said.

The open hearing today and tomorrow would be heard by two separate benches headed by NHRC members Justice B C Patel and Satyabrata Pal. Over 160 cases would be taken up, NHRC Information Officer Jaimini Kumar Srivastava said.