A decade after the National Human Rights Commission urged DGPs to set up the cell, the commissioner and additional commissioner are showing interest in its implementation
A decade after the National Human Rights Commission urged DGPs to set up the cell, the commissioner and additional commissioner are showing interest in its implementation
Commissioner of Police Satyapal Singh is keen on setting up a human rights cell at the Pune police headquarters. If it materialises, Pune will become the first commissionerate in the state to set up such a cell.
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serious issue: Additional Commissioner of Policeu00a0 Rajinder Singh asked for a copy of the NHRC order from city-based human rights activist Asim Sarode. |
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a circular to all DGPs and commissioners in 1999 to set up the cell.
Although top policemen could not be contacted to verify the details, the fact that the commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajinder Singh asked for a copy of the NHRC order from city-based human rights activist Asim Sarode shows that the police administration is serious about setting up the cell.
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Sarode sent a copy of the circular on March 13. "The commissioner told me over the phone that he was considering setting up the cell and needed the NHRC's 1999 order for the purpose," said Sarode.
Educate policemenSarode added that he was advocating the cause and had communicated with the police headquarters to set up the cell.
"Taking note of my observations, the additional commissioner is taking special interest and plans to set up a human rights cell in the police headquarters," added Sarode.
He said that the police were unaware about human rights despite a separate budget meant for police education. "A policeman needs to be educated on what constitutes the human rights of convicts," said Sarode.
"While I was handling the case of alleged Dawood Ibrahim aide Baby John Parker, I discovered his case did not come up for hearing because his papers were lost by the court.
He was languishing in the jail for over five years," recalled Sarode. He first took the issue of Parker's human rights and then studied several similar convicts.
"My communications to the judiciary and jails brought about an interest in human rights among sensitive police officials," said Sarode. None of the state's district courts have separate human rights courts as directed by the NHRC.
