22nd October, 2013

The National Human Rights Commission is holding its Camp Sitting at Imphal, Manipur from 23rd-25th October, 2013. A delegation of the Commission headed by Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chairperson and comprising Members, Mr. Justice Cyriac Joseph, Mr. Satyabrata Pal and Mr. S.C. Sinha, Director General (Investigation) Ms. Kanwaljeet Deol and other senior officers will be attending the Camp Sitting at Imphal.
On the opening day of the Camp Sitting, a team of the Commission will meet human rights activist, Ms. Irom Sharmila and another team will visit Churachandpur Hospital on 23rd October, 2013. A team of the Commission shall also visit Loktak Lake to assess the situation in the surrounding areas of the Lake.
On the second day of the sitting, the Commission has decided to take up 46 cases in Full Commission and Division Bench Sittings to be held at Hotel Classic, Imphal. Four cases shall be taken up by the Full Commission comprising the Chairperson and Members. 22 cases of deaths in police action shall be taken up by the Division Bench-I comprising Justice Mr. Cyriac Joseph and Mr. S.C. Sinha. The Division Bench-II comprising Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr. Satyabrata Pal shall take up 20 cases of deaths in police action.
On 25th October, 2013, on the concluding day of the Camp Sitting, the Commission will hold a meeting with local NGOs on human rights issues at Hotel Classic, Imphal from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. Thereafter, the Commission will hold discussions at the same venue with the Chief Secretary, DGP, DMs, SPs and other senior civil, police and jail officers on the issues raised by the NGOs and on the following issues:

Ø Extra judicial killings of innocent civilians.
Ø PDS system in the State
Ø Medical facilities in the State
Ø Problems in surroundings of the Loktak Lake
Ø Prison Reforms.
Ø Bonded Labour& Child Labour.
Ø Manual Scavenging & Sanitation.
Ø Human Rights Education at State Level
Ø Pre-conception & Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (PCPNDT) Act.
Ø Intimation about deaths in police/judicial custody within 24 hours of occurrence as per guidelines of the NHRC.
Ø Intimation about death in police encounter within 48 hours as per guidelines of the NHRC.
Ø Intimation about death in State Government Homes/Juvenile Homes/Probation Homes.
Ø Timely submission of the legible copies of the reports by the authorities.
Ø Delay in submission of compliance reports.
Ø Non-registration of FIR by the police in time

After the meeting of senior officers of the State Government, the Commission will brief the media at a press conference scheduled at 01.00 P.M. at Hotel Classic, Imphal about the outcome of the Camp Sitting as well as discussions with the NGOs and senior officers of the State Government for wider dissemination of information on the human rights issues and action taken by the NHRC for their protection and promotion.
The National Human Rights Commission has been organizing Camp Sittings in different parts of the country. The aim of the Camp Sittings is to dispose of pending cases concerning one particular State by hearing the senior government officers; sensitize them about the importance of human rights issues and compliance of NHRC recommendations by them; meet the local NGOs to get an insight into the problems being faced by the people. In the past, the NHRC has held Camp Sittings in the States of U.P., Bihar, Bengaluru (for four southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu), Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh.
The Commission has also been organising public hearings on various issues relating to atrocities and problems faced by Scheduled Castes in its endeavour to implement the recommendations made by Mr. K.B. Saxena, IAS (Retd.) in his study report on the conditions of the Scheduled Castes, which was commissioned by the NHRC. So far, such Public Hearings have been held in the States of Odisha, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Maharashtra where several people were heard and on the spot directions were given by the Commission to the Government functionaries.

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