Latest news with #NationalHumanRightsCommission
India Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Madhya Pradesh rattled by spate of ‘love jihad' cases: What police found
The Madhya Pradesh police, over the past couple of months, have been dealing with a series of crimes that, owing to their communal overtone, could blow up into wider law and order issues in the state. The alleged 'love jihad' cases threaten to keep the communal cauldron on the boil and were perpetrated despite the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, a law enacted to deter religious conversions through force, undue influence, coercion or fraud, including those done in the name of April, six Muslim men were arrested in Bhopal after a woman complained that she had been sexually exploited by some of them. The woman alleged she was being blackmailed over her intimate videos with one of the men. She told the police she was being pressured to convert to police invoked provisions of Freedom of Religion Act and rape laws against the accused. The case soon expanded to several women studying in an engineering college in Bhopal. Matters took a communal turn as all the accused were from the minority community while the women were July 1, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent a letter to the state chief secretary and director general of police (DGP), asking them to ensure that the complainants, who had discontinued their studies following the alleged exploitation, be given readmission in college. The NHRC increased the compensation for each woman from the Rs 50,000 announced by the state government to Rs 5 lakh. The panel has asked the state government to rehabilitate the complainants and pay the fees for those students who dropped out of college due to the case. The panel also asked for disciplinary action against police personnel who had ordered the demolition of a restaurant where the women had allegedly been sexually exploited, terming it as destruction of another case in April, four Hindu girls—three of them minors—from Bichrod village in Ujjain district filed a police complaint that they had been raped and were under coercion to convert. The six accused in the case, including a minor, are June, four men from the minority community in Nagda in Ujjain were booked for rape and under provisions of the Freedom of Religion Act after four Hindu girls pressed charges that they had been sexually exploited and asked to May, Mohsin Khan, a coach at Indore's Dream Olympic Shooting Academy, was booked for allegedly sexually exploiting a former student. The girl claimed she had been harassed in 2023 and had been threatened all this while not to speak out. The police claimed Khan's phone contained videos of him exploiting girls, mostly his students. The Bajrang Dal's local chapter termed the case as 'love jihad'.In June, two men, Sahil Sheikh and Altaf Shah, alleged they had been paid money by Anwar Qadri, a Congress corporator in the Indore Municipal Corporation, to marry Hindu women and convert them. Qadri has been booked by the police. The matter has taken a political turn with the Congress terming the allegations as political in the state have lately emerged as new communal battlegrounds, with some Hindu groups demanding that Hindu women be trained only by members of their community. A video went viral of a police sub-inspector in Bhopal purportedly asking gym owners not to allow Muslim trainers. He was transferred following a hue and state police have formed a special investigation team (SIT), headed by Bhopal inspector general Abhay Singh, to probe the Bhopal cases. An advisory has also been issued for college students by the Crime Against Women cell of the police. 'Investigations are on in the cases and a report will be submitted soon,' said said the investigations had not found any financial angle or evidence of an organised gang at Congress has blamed the ruling BJP for the law and order situation. 'For any crime happening in the state, the BJP government is directly or indirectly responsible as they have been in power for almost two decades. This is not a communal issue but that of women in general being unsafe in the state,' said Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafiz. Criticising BJP leaders for allegedly making communal statements on these cases, Hafiz added: 'Communal statements only disrupt harmony and help certain parties gain votes.'advertisementWhile Hindu groups were raking up 'love jihad', a case was reported in which the woman was a Muslim and had allegedly been befriended by a Hindu youth by posing as Muslim. This prompted some Muslim groups to challenge the contours of the term 'love jihad'.Meanwhile, a petition came up in the high court that the term 'love jihad' not be used by the media in its reporting. The court refused to to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
NHRC asks govt to ensure all elderly prisoners are covered by health insurance scheme
This is an AI- generated image used for representative purposes NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission has issued directions to the director general (prisons) of all states and Union Territories to ensure that all eligible prisoners of 70 years or above should be registered to be able to get the benefit of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana - the govt's health insurance scheme for senior citizens. The Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana is an initiative to provide free healthcare coverage to senior citizens aged 70 years and above, regardless of their economic status. This scheme comes under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and provides annual health cover upto Rs 5 lakh. A bench of the NHRC presided by member Priyank Kanoongo has now directed that the jail authorities must facilitate all the eligible prisoners to enroll them on the portal of the scheme. A letter has been sent out to states on Thursday communicating the directions. An action taken report along with the number of prisoners linked with the scheme has been sought within four weeks. The directions follow a complaint that was placed before the bench where the issue of making the scheme accessible to the senior citizen prisoners was raised. Noting that this is a 'valid issue', the commission said that going by the spirit of the govt 's flagship health insurance scheme it is clear that it does not exclude anyone as long as the person qualifies the eligibility criteria of 70 years or above. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Update: The Strategy Uses By Successful Intraday Trader TradeWise Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola 'It is also pertinent to mention here that a person under the custody of the state continues to enjoy the fundamental right to health, and it is the responsibility of the State to ensure proper healthcare for all inmates,' it is stated. To emphasise its point, the commission highlights the Supreme Court's assertion in a particular case to say that even the top court had emphasised providing for proper medical aid to inmates as a right under Article 21 of the Constitution. In the communication sent out to states it is cited that the Supreme Court held in that particular case that 'it is bounden duty of the state to look after health of the inmates in the jails since they cannot take treatment on their own and for the purpose of treatment, they are at the mercy of the hospital authorities. Proper medical aid to the inmates is a right available to them under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Rights panel to hear Rourkela girl drowning case
Rourkela: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will hold a hearing in Bhubaneswar on Monday regarding the drowning of a seven-year-old girl, Sarun Badaik, into an unprotected underground tank in an affordable housing colony here on May 28. NHRC will hear the case following a complaint by human rights activist Saarat Jena, who described the incident as a murder due to systemic negligence involving the contractor and senior officials associated with the housing project. Deputy secretary in the home department has instructed the collector and district magistrate of Sundargarh to attend the NHRC's camp sitting. Sarun, the only daughter of Mumbai-based mason Rohit Badaik, fell into the tank while playing in the Gopabandhu Nagar housing complex, a project executed by the Rourkela Development Authority. Her body was discovered after a three-hour search. The family had recently moved to the colony from Bidyut Basti. The incident sparked outrage among residents, who demanded accountability from civic authorities and the contractor. Protesters, including human rights activists, have called for a high-level inquiry and Rs 50 lakh compensation for the bereaved family. They have also requested assistance for the parents to adopt another child, as Sarun's mother is unable to conceive again. The protesters initially refused to release the body for post-mortem until their demands were met.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
NHRC to hold camp sitting in city on Monday & Tuesday
Bhubaneswar: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will hold a two-day camp sitting here on Monday and Tuesday. NHRC chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian, members Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, and Priyank Kanoongo will hear the cases from 10am at the state guest house on Monday. NHRC secretary general Bharat Lal, registrar (law) Joginder Singh, and other senior officers will also attend the sitting and open hearing. A range of serious issues will be addressed during the sitting, including attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, crimes against women and children, including those under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, deaths due to snakebite and lack of timely medical support, and flooding problems in coastal districts such as Bhadrak and Kendrapada. The commission will also hear cases related to human rights violations resulting from witchcraft and sorcery accusations, and the trafficking of girls during the Covid-19 period. Both complainants and state authorities have been directed to be present for the hearings to enable prompt deliberations and decisions. Apart from case hearings, the NHRC team will interact with the chief secretary, director general of police, and other senior officials to discuss systemic issues affecting the protection and promotion of human rights in the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Besides hearing cases, the camp sitting aims to sensitise officers about human rights by delivering speedy justice to victims of rights violations. On Tuesday, the commission will hold consultations with representatives from civil society organisations, NGOs and human rights defenders. A media briefing will follow, during which NHRC will share key outcomes and actions taken during the camp sitting. NHRC has conducted such outreach programmes across the coutnry since 2007, with earlier sittings held in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya, among others, official sources said.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Pregnant woman's death: NHRC pulls up govt for not paying relief to kin
Cuttack: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has pulled up the Odisha govt for failing to pay compensation to the family of a 32-year-old pregnant woman who died allegedly due to medical negligence two days after her release from jail custody in Rayagada district in 2023. In a fresh order dated July 14, 2025, the commission expressed dissatisfaction over the non-compliance of its earlier directive issued on Dec 5, 2024, where it had directed the chief secretary to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, Manorama Dongori, within six weeks. The NHRC noted that only forwarding letters had been received from the authorities concerned, with no proof of payment or compliance report. "The compliance report, along with proof of payment, is still awaited," the commission stated, directing the chief secretary to submit the required documents within four weeks, by Aug 21, 2025. The case relates to a complaint filed by Jeypore-based human rights activist and advocate Anup Kumar Patro on Jan 14, 2023, alleging that Dongori, who was nine months pregnant, was arrested during a protest and subsequently denied adequate medical attention while in custody. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo She died on Jan 14, 2023, two days after her release from jail. The commission had earlier reviewed preliminary reports submitted by local authorities but found them insufficient. A medical expert on NHRC's panel, after reviewing the documents, stated that it was unclear whether the woman had received appropriate treatment while in custody. The expert recommended submission of the full set of medical treatment records and a legible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death. In light of the incomplete submissions, the commission had directed the Rayagada SP to furnish the required documents within four weeks, which also remain pending. The NHRC has now reiterated its demand for compliance and submission of the full report, including the compensation proof and medical records, for further consideration. The commission has warned that failure to comply will invite coercive action under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
