The Hindu : New Delhi News : NHRC slams Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

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Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

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New Delhi

NHRC slams Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, MARCH 18. The National Human Rights Commission has expressed serious concern over delay of more than one year on the part of the State Governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in not sending their comments/remarks on the Justice Sadashiva panel report on alleged atrocities on villagers by the Joint Special Task Force during the Veerapan operations. The Commission has now directed that a final opportunity be given to the two State Governments to send their comments/remarks on the report within six weeks.

The Justice Sadashiva Panel, which had been set up to look into the allegations of alleged atrocities on the villagers committed by STF constituted by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu submitted its report to the Commission on December 2, 2003. The Commission accepted the report and sought comments from the two States for further action and granted three months' time. Since there was no response, a reminder was sent in June 2004 to both the Chief Secretaries asking for their response within two weeks.

Tamil Nadu by its letter dated July 12, 2004 conveyed to the Commission that the report was under consideration and that the remarks would be intimated to the Commission shortly. The remarks, however, not having been received, a further reminder was

Issued to both the Governments extending the time for sending their comments on

the report to September 25, 2004. Even that reminder did not evoke response either from Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. Accordingly, on the direction of the Commission, the Secretary General of the Commission addressed a letter to the Chief Secretaries of both the State Governments conveying to them the concern of the Commission on not receiving the response from the States and impressing upon them to send their comments on the report and to indicate the action they proposed to take on the various recommendations.

Karnataka in its letter dated December 13, 2004 asked for a copy of the report, which had already been sent to them. Another copy of the report was sent but the comments/remarks were not received. Since responses were not received both the governments were again issued a reminder on February 8 asking them to look into the matter "urgently and arrange to send the comments by February 25. The Commission regretted that till March 7, i.e. more than a year since the report was first sent to the State Governments concerned the needful had still not been done.

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