Bihar tops in custodial deaths: NHRC

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 13. The National Human Rights Commission has expressed serious concern over the increasing number of custodial deaths in the country with Bihar topping the list with 78 such cases from April to September.

According to the Commission, custodial deaths had not come down inspite of a series of guidelines issued to the States to ensure that the human rights of the prisoners were not violated but 488 custodial deaths were reported in the last six months.

Besides Bihar, the other State where the number is on the increase is Uttar Pradesh with 61 custodial deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 60 and Andhra Pradesh 43. Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu recorded 22, 14 and 9 respectively.

The northeastern States recorded minimum number of custodial deaths.

In respect of other human rights violations recorded from June 1 to September 30, U.P. accounts for 17,417 cases out of 30,631, followed by Bihar, 2,272; Delhi, 2,178; Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, 1,488. The southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala accounted for comparatively less number of cases, viz. 467, 358, 686 and 251. The least number was reported from northeastern States and union territories.

The Commission has reiterated the States and UTs to take preventive steps to ensure that the human rights of the prisoners or those taken into custody were not violated.

It has asked them to sensitise the police officers and jail officials on the importance of protecting the human rights of the detenus.

The Commission has urged the States which have so far not set up Human Rights Commission in their States to constitute them at the earliest so that such cases could be monitored effectively.

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Section  : Other States
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