Police raids on Aligarh's Cyber Cafés; NHRC asks UP Government for comments
New Delhi, 24 December 2004
Taking suo-motu cognizance of reports in the print and electronic media of alleged highhandedness of the police during a recent raid on a cyber café in Aligarh, the National Human Rights Commission has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Government of Uttar Pradesh to look into the allegations and send their comments within two weeks.
The print media had published a news story on 23 December 2004 wherein it was reported that porn-seeking Uttar Pradesh police humiliated youngsters in Aligarh's cyber cafes. It was also reported that when one teenaged girl resisted the cops, the men in uniform went berserk. "A senior officer reportedly went on to the extent of warning the girl and said; 'Garmi na dikhao…. Garmi dishaogi to bahut kuchh garam ho jayega (Do not lose your temper or you will lose a great deal more)' it stated.
The newspaper quoted an Aligarh, lawyer as being particularly incensed by the intrusive TV cameras and having said "While the law restricts media from using pictures and real names of even those arrested on charges of prostitution, a police officer held one of these teenaged girls by her hair and forced her to look into the lens of a news channel camera." One of the policemen was also quoted as telling a girl: "Ab sharam aa rahi hai…. Jab school se bhaag kar aayi thee to sharam nahee aa rahi thi (you are ashamed now but didn't you feel the same way when you decided to bunk school and spend time with your boyfriend."
A day earlier on 22 December 2004, The India TV also telecast a story of a raid carried out recently by the police at a Cyber Café in the Civil Lines Thana of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. In the visuals shown by the said TV channel, there seemed to be no women police in uniform present during the raid, which involved a number of girl students, the background commentary of the constables seemed to be inappropriate and some of the remarks made by the police to the girl students were taunting and suggestive, in one of the shots, a girl was seen being pulled out by the policeman holding her hair and forcing her in front of the T.V. camera and the anchor in the studio wrapped up the news story with the observation that the SSP, Aligarh was asked on whether the raid had yielded any result but he had declined to comment.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the report if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights of the students and particular an affront to the honour and supreme dignity of the concerned females.
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Taking suo-motu cognizance of reports in the print and electronic media of alleged highhandedness of the police during a recent raid on a cyber café in Aligarh, the National Human Rights Commission has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Government of Uttar Pradesh to look into the allegations and send their comments within two weeks.
The print media had published a news story on 23 December 2004 wherein it was reported that porn-seeking Uttar Pradesh police humiliated youngsters in Aligarh's cyber cafes. It was also reported that when one teenaged girl resisted the cops, the men in uniform went berserk. "A senior officer reportedly went on to the extent of warning the girl and said; 'Garmi na dikhao…. Garmi dishaogi to bahut kuchh garam ho jayega (Do not lose your temper or you will lose a great deal more)' it stated.
The newspaper quoted an Aligarh, lawyer as being particularly incensed by the intrusive TV cameras and having said "While the law restricts media from using pictures and real names of even those arrested on charges of prostitution, a police officer held one of these teenaged girls by her hair and forced her to look into the lens of a news channel camera." One of the policemen was also quoted as telling a girl: "Ab sharam aa rahi hai…. Jab school se bhaag kar aayi thee to sharam nahee aa rahi thi (you are ashamed now but didn't you feel the same way when you decided to bunk school and spend time with your boyfriend."
A day earlier on 22 December 2004, The India TV also telecast a story of a raid carried out recently by the police at a Cyber Café in the Civil Lines Thana of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. In the visuals shown by the said TV channel, there seemed to be no women police in uniform present during the raid, which involved a number of girl students, the background commentary of the constables seemed to be inappropriate and some of the remarks made by the police to the girl students were taunting and suggestive, in one of the shots, a girl was seen being pulled out by the policeman holding her hair and forcing her in front of the T.V. camera and the anchor in the studio wrapped up the news story with the observation that the SSP, Aligarh was asked on whether the raid had yielded any result but he had declined to comment.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the report if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights of the students and particular an affront to the honour and supreme dignity of the concerned females.
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