Important cases

NHRC gave a strong opinion on the working of the police in a case relating to one Suraj Singh who was killed in Sultanpur, UP, in Feb 2007. The Commission which investigated the case found that the encounter in which Suraj Singh was killed was stage managed by the police to justify the killing. The Commission said that the job of the police was to apprehend criminals and bring them to book. If the police transgressed its limits and took the law in its own hands, the security of the citizen would be seriously affected. The Commission further said that the police had no justification to deprive a person of his life just because he is perceived to be a threat to the society. The Commission also asked the State authorities to get the case investigated by CBI.

· The Commission called for disciplinary and criminal action against four officers in a case relating to the death of Pakistani national in police custody in Banaskantha district of Gujarat. The Investigation Division of the Commission which obtained post-mortem report and magisterial report from the State authorities said that the victim was subjected to torture during interrogation, resulting in his death. The Commission also said that the victim Raziabibi Sheikh Jamir Luhar who was intercepted on March 25, 2003, was not produced in the court as required by law and was illegally detained.

The Commission sent notices to

· Chief Secretary, Kerala on 40 deaths reported in the State due to Chikungunya.
· Chief Secretary, Haryana on the killing of a couple Manoj and Bubli in Kaithal district of the State. The Commission also asked Haryana police to provide adequate protection to the family members of the victims.
· Chief Secretary and DGP, UP on an incident in Dhanni Deeh village of Shravasti district, where hundreds of people reportedly attacked and beat up Muslims. The attackers allegedly gang raped the women and even paraded them naked. The news report also said that no FIR was registered in the incident. The Commission also decided to send an investigation team to the village for fact finding.
· The Superintendent of Police, Gurgaon on a report, which said that a nine year old boy was thrashed by Gurgaon fireman. The report also said that the child was mentally challenged.
· Chief Secretary, Karnataka on a report which said that atleast 80,863 children were out of school in the State, and out of which at least 60,516 in the age group of 7-14 were dropouts while 20,347 had never been to school.
· The Commission took up the case of 63 Pak asylum seekers with the Ministry of External Affairs. These asylum seekers who had burnt their travel documents had expressed the fear that they might be executed in Pakistan if they returned. The Commission also sought comments from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Ministry on the issue.