Search the Internet          Tips

Human rights panel holds full meeting

A day after the Gujarat government submitted its 'comprehensive' report into the recent communal violence to it, the National Human Rights Commission held a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

Commission sources said that the report did not come up for deliberations in the full Commission meeting with the 'revised' copy of the report being received only on Thursday and most of the members yet to read it fully.

The voluminous report submitted by the state government to NHRC on Thursday had nearly 20 pages missing, the sources said, and added that the 'state government had apologised for the mistake and had assured that the mistake will be corrected immediately'.

Sources also said the commission would hold a meeting in next few days to discuss the Gujarat report.

The meeting came in the backdrop of a Public Interest Litigation filed by an Ahmedabad-based organisation, Karuna Public Charitable Trust, in the city high court.

The PIL had challenged the jurisdiction of NHRC under Section 36 of Protection of Human Rights Act to intervene in Gujarat.

The Commission had criticised the handling of the situation by the Gujarat government during the communal riots leading to 'insecurity' among the people of the state.

It had also rejected the preliminary report by the state government as 'perfunctory' and demanded a comprehensive report into the incidents of violence and steps taken for prevention and protection of the people.

Besides the main report in about 135 pages, the revised document filed by the state government also carries annexures numbering around 265.

Claiming that all possible steps were taken to control the situation and for the protection of members of the minority community, the report also points out measures taken for smooth running of state activities including conduct of school examinations, deployment of police and paramilitary forces among other issues.

The annexures enclosed with the report were on law and order, relief and rehabilitation and responses to the media coverage.

The Sabarmati in Flames: Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report