NHRC to 3 Northeast states: don't book journalists 'at the drop of hat'

Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram have been directed not to register cases against journalists at the "drop of a hat", National Human Rights Commission member Justice M M Kumar said on Wednesday.

The direction was given to chief secretaries and the director generals of police of the three states during their deposition to the Commission at a two-day hearing here which concluded Wednesday.

The NHRC direction was given in connection to a complaint filed by Sanit Debroy of the Assembly of Journalists in Tripura and the Commission has given specific directions to that state's chief secretary and director general of police, Kumar said.

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“We have told the states' authorities during the hearing that they need to show patience and to give them (journalists) enough space to express their point of view ... We have also told them them don't register cases at the drop of a hat,” he told PTI.

Debroy had appoached the NHRC with his complaint that since the BJP-IPFT government came to power in the state in 2018 many scribes had been attacked and many newspaper offices had been vandalised.

The other two states, whose representatives were present at the meeting, were also directed to do the same.

“I have told the chief secretaries (of the three states) this (Wednesday) afternoon and they have taken note of the direction,” he said.

The Commission recommended compensation of Rs seven lakh to a minor who was raped by a para-military personnel in Tripura. In another case top government officers of the state were directed to provide proper medical care and treatment to a handicapped person.

Kumar said the Commission has also asked the Mizoram government to pay as compensation Rs seven lakh to the next of kin of a person who died in police custody, while Meghalaya government have been asked to submit proofs of payment of Rs three lakh to the next of kin of a victim who died in a police encounter.

Two cases in connection to the death of labourers in illegal coal mines in Meghalaya were heard and the state government was directed to give Rs five lakh as compensation to the kin of each victim, he said.

In all 19 cases were heard during the two day-public hearing here. Ten of the cases were from Tripura, six from Meghalaya and 3 from Mizoram.

NHRC general secretary Bimbadhar Pradhan said that the Commission is extensively using the NHRC portal for ensuring easy and quick submission of reports and action taken reports from state governments on 22 advisories issued earlier.