CORE takes headless MHRC case to Governor
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 11 2024:
When the State is reeling under a deep turmoil that has huge human rights implications, the Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has been rendered a body in namesake only with no Chairperson appointed.
Even as the post of the Chairperson is lying vacant, human rights activists and citizens are unable to file complaints with the Commission.
Notably, the tenure of the former Chairperson, Justice UB Saha ended on August 24, 2024, and since then the Commission is lying dormant with no new Chairperson or Acting Chairperson appointed till today.
Taking note of this vacuum, the Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE) has written to Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya seeking his attention for the State to appoint a new Chairperson or an Acting Chairperson.
Criticising the State for making the MHRC non-functional amid the more than 16-month-old conflict, it said the Law Commissioner may be summoned by the Governor for explanations.
In the letter to the Governor, CORE said the post of the Chairperson has been lying vacant for 18 days when the Government was supposed to swiftly appoint one or authorise the incumbent Member of the Commission as an Acting Chairperson in accordance with Section 25 of the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA) 1993.CORE stressed that the need for a functional MHRC has become all the more important when more than 70 students were injured in police crackdown yesterday.
With no Chairperson or an Acting Chairperson, human rights activists are unable to file complaints with the Commission regarding the police crackdown, said CORE.
Notably, massive number of students were protesting in Imphal yesterday demanding removal of the current Security Advisor and the Director General of Police from their posts for "security failures" amid the conflict between two communities.
The students had served an ultimatum to the Governor and were marching toward the Raj Bhavan yesterday when police dispersed them firing tear gas shells and smoke bombs.
Dozens of students including girls were hurt in the security forces' crackdown.
In the letter to the Governor, CORE said human rights activists who tried to register complaints regarding the crackdown with the MHRC have been summarily told that the Commission couldn't conduct any proceeding until a Chairperson or an Acting Chairperson is appointed.
In absence of a Chairperson or an Acting Chairperson, the Commission which is supposed to uphold human rights has been rendered a mute spectator when more than 70 students have sustained injuries in police crackdown, said CORE.
It further reminded the Governor that the Government of Manipur was compelled to establish the Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) in the year 1998 as a result of a massive agitation spearheaded by the student community following "involuntary and enforced disappearance" of a minor student after being "abducted" by the Indian security forces from his home.
CORE noted that after the end of the tenure of the former Chairperson on August 24, the Youth Forum for Protection of Human Rights submitted a representation to the State Chief Secretary and Law Commissioner requesting swift appointment of an Acting Chairperson.
The Law Department was quick enough to issue demit-ting order of the MHRC Chairperson, but at the same time it failed to issue notification authorising the incumbent Member to act as Chairperson until appointment of a new Chairperson, said CORE.
The MHRC not functioning despite having an incumbent Member is due to inaction on the part of the State Government.
This is scandalous, and seems to reveal that the State Government has no intention to protect human rights of the citizens, said CORE.
The MHRC has large numbers of pending cases that date back to 1999 .
Defunct for long, the Commission was made functional with the intervention of the High Court in 2018, said CORE, asking if aggrieved citizens and human rights defenders have to approach the High Court again to make it functional.
CORE said the Commissioner Law may be summoned by the Governor for explanation as to why the MHRC is not functioning amid the violent conflict in the State.
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