Of 2,899 complaints against police personnel, only 40 referred to Karnataka Human Rights Commission's police wing
The number of complaints alleging human rights violations by police personnel in the State is on the rise. While a total of 5,385 complaints were filed in 2024, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has already received 2,899 complaints by May 30 this year.
However, the police wing, headed by an Additional Director General of Police rank officer - meant to assist the commission by probing such complaints - has been referred only 40 complaints so far this year. This has raised eyebrows, especially given the fact that by the end of May, investigations by the police wing of the Commission have led to the indictment of as many as 15 police personnel.
T. Sham Bhat, the acting chairman of the commission, said that only serious cases are referred to the police wing for investigation. 'Many complaints are regarding illegal detention by police personnel in districts outside Bengaluru, where timely intervention is needed. Sending police from here may not serve the purpose. So we refer cases from other districts to respective the Deputy Commissioners. Many complaints also pertain to deaths in prisons, which we refer to senior officials in the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services,' he said.
Demand for a full-time chairperson
The commission has been without a full-time chairperson for the past 14 months now, and Mr. Bhat has been serving as the acting chairman during the time. Several human rights activists have been demanding the immediate appointment of a full-time chairperson from the state government.
'A chairperson must be appointed without delay, as a headless commission means that the KSHRC is abysmally failing in its duty to protect human rights, especially when the state is the violator. If the Congress government claims fidelity to the Constitution, they must act now, to ensure that the KSHRC becomes functional and the constitutional mandate is fulfilled,' said Arvind Narrain, President, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Karnataka.
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