CB Bureau India has asked Sri Lanka to develop ‘independent, credible
as well as transparent mechanism to investigate allegations of human rights
violations that were reported during the end of Eelam War IV. Colombo has also been asked to give a deadline
for the presentation of final reports of
investigation .
Commenting on the ‘Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and
Reconciliation Committee’ report, tabled in Parliament on December 16, the
Indian external affairs spokesperson has said: ‘The present situation provides
a great window of opportunity to forge a consensual way forward towards
reconciliation through a political settlement based on devolution of power.
‘It recognizes that a political solution is imperative to
addressing the root cause of the conflict and notes that the government should
provide leadership to a political process, which must be pursued for the
purpose of establishing a framework for ensuring sustainable peace and security
in the post-conflict environment.’
The Indian statement comes a few
days after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa ruled out land and police powers for the
northern province that was under LTTE control before Sri Lankan forces took
over. ‘We hope that the
Government of Sri Lanka, recognizing the critical importance of this issue,
acts decisively and with vision in this regard. We will remain engaged with
them through this process and offer our support in the spirit of partnership.’
HRC in West Bengal failed
in educating people
Former Justice Narayan Chandra Sil, acting chairperson of
the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, admitted that the state commission had
not been able to accomplish its task of educating people about human rights.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the National Human Rights
Commission and Calcutta University, Sil said the commission received lot of
complaints daily, but many of them were not acceptable.
The complaints were often on subjects such as land, service
and relations between husband and wife, which did not come under the purview of
human rights. So, it was the duty of the human rights commission to make people
aware of the concept of human rights and its legal provisions.
Strangely, there is only one member in the state’s
commission and does not have any district arm.
Addressing
the seminar, former Justice G P Mathur, member of the National Human Rights
Commission, said there was a relation between human rights and development. The
poor are deprived from human rights in India, whereas development is confined
to the affluent and rich, he said.
HRF AP stands for adivasis, wants no
mining
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) of Andhra Pradesh (AP) has urged the central
and state governments to drop the proposal to mine bauxite in the Scheduled V
area of Vishakhapatnam district. Calling upon the ministry of environment and
forests constituted expert committee, which is planning to visit the site Visakha Agency to take note of this reality, the HRF said that the project does
not have the consent of the adivasi (tribal) communities.
In a statement issued to media, the forum pointed out how bauxite mining
will lead to displacement of adivasi communities like the Khond, Nooka Dora,
Bagata and Manne Dora.
‘Some adivasis will suffer multiple displacements as they had moved into the
hills of the Visakha Agency due to several destructive projects in the
erstwhile Koraput district of Orissa. They would again be forced to abandon a
habitat that gave them land for farming, adequate water and forest for
sustenance,’ the forum stated in its press release.
Apart from stating that the process violates the constitution and mocks the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act 1996 and
Forest Rights Act of 2006, the HRF also alleged that the Andhra Pradesh Mineral
Development Corporation (APMDC) is working against the welfare of tribal groups
while protecting the business interests of mining companies.
Officers trained in Karnataka
A two-day training programme on sensitization and awareness on human rights
was organized by the Mysore Administrative Training Institute, in association
with District Training Centre for various administrative and police officers.
More than hundred officers hailing from Davanagere district underwent the
training and were told about special provisions under human rights and their
violation.
Deputy Commissioner S S Pattana Shetty, who inaugurated the event, asked
officers to take steps to prevent child labour and exploitation of women in the
state.