NHRC sends notice to DGP(Prisons), UP, on inhuman conditions in Mirzapur jail: asks for factual report from DGP, Bihar, on dumping of bodies of lynched men by cops

New Delhi September 21, 2007 The National Human Rights Commission has sent notice to the DGP(Prisons), UP, on a report which said that women prisoners were living in inhuman conditions in Mirzapur jail. The Commission took suo-motu cognizance of a report on the subject published in the Hindi daily "Jansatta", on Sep 17, 2007. According to the press report, a human rights activist, Roma, who was detained at Mirzapur jail, on her release had alleged that deplorable conditions were prevailing in the prison. She had reportedly said that the jail seriously lacked medical facilities and under such conditions women prisoners gave birth to children. The report also said that there were 29 women prisoners including some minor girls who instead of being sent to Child Homes/Juveniles Homes were lodged in the jail. The report, further, said that these minor girls had been languishing in the prison since there was no one to pursue their case. The report quoting Roma said that half a dozen women prisoners were living along with their babies in the jail and highlighted that a three-year-old daughter of a woman prisoner had died in the jail recently due to illness.
After going through the contents of the press report, the Commission said that it is distressing and raises a serious issue of human rights violation of women prisoners. The Commission directed that the press report be forwarded to the concerned authority for a factual report within four weeks.

The Commission also expressed its displeasure after it went through a report in the "Indian Express" published on September 17, 2007, on the dumping of the bodies of lynched men in Ganga by the Bihar cops. The Commission had already sent a notice to the DGP, Bihar and SSP, Vaishali, on the issue and found the ensuing incident distressing. The Commission took note of electronic media reports, which showed the bodies of the lynched men lying on the banks of Ganga near Hajipur instead of being given a proper cremation and asked for a factual report from the DGP, Bihar, within four weeks.

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