Front Page

NHRC rejects Gujarat Govt. report

Ahmedabad March 21. Observing that a sense of insecurity still prevailed among the people in Gujarat, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today rejected as "perfunctory" the preliminary report of the State Government on the recent violence and demanded a "more comprehensive" document in the next few days.

"The situation in the State is far from normal. There is a sense of insecurity among the people," the NHRC Chairman, Justice J.S. Verma, told a news conference here. Mr. Justice Verma, who is on a three-day visit to the State, said he had told the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, that the preliminary report was not comprehensive and was done perfunctorily.

"We expect the State Government to file a comprehensive report on the situation in the next few days." He said the Commission would come out with recommendations outlining measures to ensure that such incidents did not recur anywhere in the country.

The four-member Commission is also scheduled to visit Godhra and Baroda. It comprises the secretary-general, P.C. Sen, the special reporter, Chaman Lal, and the personal secretary of the Chairman, Y.S.R. Murza.To a question about the "late intervention" by the NHRC, he dispelled any doubt on this score, saying, "We act as a facilitator and are not vested with any administrative powers. But the NHRC took a suo motu notice of the developments in Gujarat immediately after the incidents of violence began. We had sent a notice to the State Government on the basis of reports in the media. But the preliminary report was not comprehensive, it had lot of gaps and was done perfunctorily."

"We have not come here with any assumption or presumption. We will go back and then collate the information before deciding on what re commendations need to be made to ensure that such incidents don't recur anywhere — that is my mandate," he said. Although the Commission was still garnering information, its broad perception was that the return of normality, as claimed by the Government, was not "real" but "deceptive". Mr. Justice Verma said that his visit to several relief camps had made him realise that mutual trust between the communities was yet to be re-established.— PTI, UNI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Elders reject bill on POTO
• Allies raise storm over 'asti yatra', to meet today
• Sparks fly over Hindutva issue
• NHRC rejects Gujarat Govt. report
• Mumbai HC restrains DPC
• UNP sweeps local polls
• Fire in gurdwara
• Nine killed in Lima blast

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu