NHRC notice to the Haryana DGP and D.M. Palwal over the reported attack on a man asking him to leave the village with his family after his anti-Rohingya social media post

Press release

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi, 22nd August, 2023

NHRC notice to the Haryana DGP and D.M. Palwal over the reported attack on a man asking him to leave the village with his family after his anti-Rohingya social media post

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a Hindu family in a Muslim-dominated village of Palwal district of Haryana was allegedly attacked, threatened for life and ordered to leave the village for sharing an anti-Rohingya post on social media. The man had reportedly supported the denial of citizenship to the people belonging to the Rohingya community.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights which is a matter of concern. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana and the District Magistrate, Palwal, calling for a detailed report in the matter, including action taken against the alleged perpetrators, the status of the FIR registered in the matter and preventive steps taken or proposed to be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future in the State. The response is expected within four weeks.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has observed that extending threats to a citizen to kill for posting some content on social media that too by persons residing in the same village indicates infringement of a citizen's basic fundamental rights. It is an obligatory duty of the law enforcing agencies to ensure a safe environment for the citizens and effective implementation of laws.

According to the media report, carried on 18th August, 2023, the victim resides in Sarai village, and three identified persons of the same village, along with others armed with sticks and country-made pistols, forcibly entered his house and started vandalising it. They threatened to kill the victim's family if they did not leave the village.

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