OTHER INTERVENTIONS<br>

Banning use of white asbestos
(Case No.2951/30/0/2011)
The Commission took cognizance of a complaint that about fifty thousand people die every year in the country from asbestos-related cancer. The complainant requested the Commission's intervention to ban chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos), which is used on walls and roofs claiming that it caused various incurable diseases, and that the Government illogically had technically banned the mining of asbestos but allowed its import from countries which do not let it be used domestically.
The Commission issued notices to the Secretaries of the Union Ministries of Chemical & Fertilizers, Environment & Forest, Health & Family Welfare, Industry & Commerce, and Labour and to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, calling for reports on the issues raised in the complaint.
A Bihar Panchayat suppresses a case of gang rape
(Case No.1642/4/14/2011-WC)
Cognizance was taken of a complaint based on a media report that after the terrible crime of a gang-rape in October last year, a village Panchayat in village Girdih, District Jamui, Bihar asked the four rapists to merely pay a fine of Rupees one lakh to the victim, and forced her to divorce her husband. The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Bihar, calling for detailed reports.
Girl stripped naked in an Ahmedabad school
(Case No.689/6/1/2011)
The Commission issued a notice to the Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Gujarat, calling for a report on a complaint that in the Islamic School in the Shahpur area of Ahmedabad, a six year old girl was stripped naked and locked in the school toilet for hours because her handwriting was bad.



Death of 17 babies in a West Bengal hospital
(Case No.630/25/5/2011)
The Commission took cognizance of media reports and a complaint that 17 infants died within a span of two days at the B.C. Roy Paediatric Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, leading to protests by the parents, who blamed the doctors for negligence. The Commission observed that paediatric care is one of the cardinal requirements of infant health and any negligence or dereliction of duty by public servants and doctors is detrimental to the right to health. It issued a notice to the Secretary, Department of Health, Government of West Bengal, directing him to conduct a detailed investigation and report.
Killing of a boy in the army area in Chennai
(Case No.736/22/13/2011)
The Commission took cognizance of media reports and a complaint that a 13 year old boy, Dilshan, was shot dead allegedly by army personnel on the 3rd July, 2011 at the Island Grounds area in Chennai, on which he had trespassed to pick some fruits. It issued notices to the Union Secretary, Ministry of Defence and the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, Tamil Nadu calling for reports.
Forcible acquisition of farmers' land in Aligarh district
(Case No.25557/24/3/2011)
The Commission issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, directing him to look into the complaint of farmers from five villages in Aligarh district that their land is being acquired forcibly by the district authorities for J.P. Group, a private company, which was building the Yamuna Express way and Model Town. The farmers have also alleged that the revenue authorities had their electricity supply disconnected, they were not allowed to cultivate their lands, they were being implicated in false criminal cases by the police, and threatened with dire consequences if they refused to part with their lands. The Commission has also decided to depute its investigation team to do an on-the-spot enquiry in these five villages of Jikerpur, Jahangarh, Kansera, Udaipur and Tappal.




NHRC tells Gujarat Government: Pay relief to silicosis victims or face Supreme Court
(Case No.300/6/25/07-08)
The Commission has held that the Government of Gujarat has not taken appropriate measures as per its recommendations to provide monetary relief or other succour to the poor families of 238 victims of silicosis. It has warned the State Government that it will have no option but to approach the Supreme Court if there is a further delay in the payment of relief.
It also advised the legal aid authorities of both Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh that, instead of following a litigational process, they should adopt a humane approach to help settle the claims of the poor families of the victims of silicosis at the earliest. It has sought complete details of the package of relief prepared by the Madhya Pradesh Government for 304 patients of silicosis.