NHRC asks OHRC to act on Belabahali issue

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to act over human rights violation cases of Belabahali villagers in Keonjhar district. The NHRC issued this order while acting on a petition filed by lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy in this regard. The petition alleged that police illegally arrested more than 100 villagers, including women, who were protesting shifting of construction site of a bridge over river Kosei on July 7 this year. At least 20 people were injured in the incident.

It too alleged that the brutal police attack on the people was deliberately engineered by the Government even as a report of the Works Department satisfies NHAI norms. Arrest of 114 villagers instead of addressing their grievances amounts to human rights violation, Tripathy alleged.He requested the NHRC to investigate the case by the special rapporteur and direct the Chief Secretary and the DGP to immediately release all those arrested. He also sought free medical treatment for the injured. The NHRC transferred to the OHRC u/s 13 (6) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, with the request for disposal in accordance with the provisions of the Act.