Published On:Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Does Omar know this?
SHRC rendered completely defunct
Srinagar: Despite truth and reconciliation being Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s biggest promise in 2008, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) was hardly allowed to function during the six years of the present government.
During Omar Abdullah regime which is completing its term, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) remained most of the times either short of members or headless, thus rendering it functionless, especially after the 2010 uprising in which over 120 youth got killed and hundreds injured.
The SHRC continues to be non-operational.
Many human rights activists term this as a ploy by the Omar Abdullah led government to silence the voices of human rights activists.
“Sometimes the SHRC was short of members and sometimes it was without the chairman. The cases we have moved there are gathering dust,” says a well known human rights activist.
The Jammu and Kashmir SHRC was established under the Jammu and Kashmir Protection of Human Rights Act, 1997. The Commission is headquartered at Srinagar with sub-offices at Doda, Rajouri and Jammu Districts. The SHRC has a Chairperson and four Members. At present all the posts are vacant and government seems in no mood to make it operational for the larger benefit of the people.
“The issue regarding filling up of said vacancies is under active consideration of the Government and the process has already been initiated,” says the official website of Governments Law department.
It may be mentioned here that in February 2010, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the first budget session of ruling NC-Congress coalition pledged to adequately strengthen the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission. Omar Abdullah had then stated “I would ensure strengthening of Commission to the extent that its Chairman need not leave the way Justice (Retd.) Ali Mohammed Mir had to leave”, but the fact is the NC led government rendered it completely useless.
“Not a single case has been settled in last six years of Omar Abdullah government,” said another famous human rights activist.
He said that justice has always got delayed in the local courts. “People had hopes that their cases will be solved in SHRC. But it is very unfortunate to see that this SHRC is now totally functionless especially after 2010 unrest,” he adds.
Sources said the commission also suffers from acute financial shortage, lack of necessary infrastructure, lack of support and cooperation from the State Government and the police.
Some of the high profile cases which are pending in SHRC are the Kunan-Poshpora mass rape case, use of pellet and pepper guns during protests and a hundreds of other cases.
