It’s a revelation that could send chill down the spine as the State machinery alone has emerged as the biggest violator of human rights of citizens in Odisha. Significantly, the latest data available with both the State and National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) show that as many as 4,223 cases of human rights violations have been registered this financial year (2014-15) up to January 31 last. The disconcerting fact is cases of violation of human rights in the State seemingly are on ascent as from around 3,400 odd cases in year 2011-12, it clocked to over 5,000 cases in 2013-14.
Interestingly, Odisha now figures in the top-5 league in the country having cases of maximum human rights violations. The State is perched at number four in the list led by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. As the load is high and manpower less, the consequence is rate of pendency has doubled to around 32 per cent in 2014-15 in Odisha, which is incidentally higher than the top-3 violator States in the country.
Interestingly, the State Government was ordered to pay compensation to the tune of over Rs1.34 crore in around 43 cases during the last three years by the NHRC. A look at the violation cases taken cognisance of by the Commissions clearly reveals that almost 70 per cent of rights violations were perpetrated by the State machinery alone. The dubious honour of topmost rights violator fits on cops including prison staff with a high share of over 40 per cent of the total violations in the State.
The glare for second spot beams on doctors/health staff employed in various State Government hospitals. It has been observed that most alleged rights violations by cops pertain to domains like illegal detention, arrests and torture, and with regard to docs it pertains to grave matters like denial of proper treatment or non-provisioning of bed to patients in dire needs. Year-wise data record a rise in rights violations by both cops and docs.
According to rights activists, docs and cops allegedly get emboldened by high pendency rate in the State Human Rights Commission. They allege that the State Commission has been quite tentative in its approach towards violations. Even, data show many cases pertaining to cruelty by cops were dismissed by the Commission without giving any hearing, rued activist Dhirendra Panda. He added that certain provisions in the new Police Bill, the Government has introduced in the Assembly, would do more harm to citizens’ right in Odisha.
Injustices on ‘fair sex’ in State by State machinery also recorded a significant number by accounting for around one-fourth of the total cases registered. Bonded labour and violation of labour rights together constitute over 5-8 per cent of total rights cases. Cases pertaining to caste discrimination in Odisha also share a significant number in total rights violations, data suggests.
Rights bodies in the State blame Government solely for the worrying trend. They say lack of effective emphasis on rights-based governance and high degree of politicisation of police force ignites off such flagrant violations.