National Human Rights Commission to be in Guwahati on 16–17 November, 2023; holding ‘camp sitting’ to hear cases of human rights violations in NE states

Press release

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi, 15th November, 2023

CURTAIN RAISER

National Human Rights Commission to be in Guwahati on 16–17 November; holding ‘camp sitting’ to hear cases of human rights violations in NE states

Meetings with SHRCs, Chief Secretaries and DGPs of 8 NE states, representatives of civil society, NGOs and Human Rights Defenders

NHRC is organizing a National Conference on ‘Advancing Human Rights through Local Self Governments’

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India is holding a camp sitting at Administrative Staff College, Guwahati on 17th November, 2023 to hear cases of human rights violations in the North-Eastern States. The Commission is also sensitizing local self-governments on various aspects of human rights and holding a national conference on ‘Advancing Human Rights through Local Self Governments’ on 16th November, 2023. The Commission will also meet members of civil society and NGOs as well as the press during its two-day visit.

The Commission comprising of NHRC, India Chairperson, Justice Shri Arun Mishra; Members Dr. Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay and Shri Rajiv Jain; and Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal accompanied by Registrar (Law) Shri Surajit Dey; Joint Secretary, Shri D. K. Nim and other senior officers will attend the conference and camp sitting. The Chairpersons of the State Human Rights Commissions of Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Sikkim besides the senior officers of the Central and State Governments will also participate in the national conference.

The Commission is also holding a meeting with Chief Secretaries, DGPs, and senior officers of the 8 NE states to review the action taken on its advisories and recommendations and to protect and promote the human rights of all human beings in respective states. During the camp sitting, the Commission will hold a meeting with all State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) of NE states to develop synergy in its various activities to protect and promote human rights as well as generate awareness among cross-sections of society.

NHRC, India has been working to promote awareness of human rights issues at the ground level. The main objective of the conference is to create awareness regarding the role of Local self-government in advancing human rights and related facets of it. During the conference, how the National Human Rights Commission and the State Human Rights Commissions work to advance human rights through Local self-governments. The participation of local community-based institutions and local self governments helps in a big way in promoting and protecting human rights. Local self-governments and community-based organizations, human rights defenders working at grassroots level are of immense help in protecting and promoting human rights by promoting the concept of ‘fraternity’ and in improving the quality of life of citizens and ensuring basic amenities, as well as in dealing with vulnerable groups with sensitivity and compassion. The two technical sessions include; ‘Advancing human rights through local self-governments’ and ‘Best practices of the local self-governments of the North Eastern States.’

On the 17th November, 2023, NHRC, India officers will hear more than 40 pending cases of human rights violations during the camp sitting. The State authorities and the complainants concerned have also been asked to remain present during the hearing of the cases.

The camp sitting aims to sensitize the State officials about human rights and also interact with the representatives of the NGOs and HRDs. Besides the hearing of cases, the Commission will be meeting the representatives of the NGOs and Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). The Commission will also brief the media about the outcome of the camp sitting to have a wider dissemination of information on the human rights issues of the States and the actions taken by the NHRC.

The Commission has been holding camp sittings since 2007. Through camp sittings, the victims of human rights violations can receive prompt justice. So far, the Commission has held camp sittings in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, and Assam.

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