Maharashtra govt pulled up for atrocities against Patkar

The National Human Rights Commission has pulled up the Maharashtra government for alleged police atrocities against social activist Medha Patkar in Raigad district in May.

The Commission has ruled that State machinery should not be misused for ''ulterior aim and gains of the party in power, out to strangulate the voice of dissent''.

The Commission issued notice to the state government following its investigation team's report that peaceful demonstrators had been ''roughed up, humiliated and their right to assemble peaceably and without arms, guaranteed under the Constitution, grossly violated''.

Patkar had been touring the Konkan region to sensitise the people about environment and the pollution problems, created by various industries in the region.

During the course of her meetings, she had also exposed various acts of corruption alleged to have been committed by several ministers.

Sensing ''trouble'', prohibitory orders were issued by the Raigad district magistrate, applicable only to Patkar to prevent her from addressing public meetings.

The investigation team said its enquiries indicated that the prohibitory orders were issued due to extraneous consideration and tacit direction of some ministers. It also said the orders were not warranted by the situation and district magistrate R S Rathod's action was ''prejudiced, biased and not based on proper application of mind''.

The Commission directed the state government to examine the investigating team's report and take appropriate disciplinary and punitive action against erring officials.

The team also found that sub-divisional police officer S Jadhav did not restrain his subordinates, who beat up the peaceful activists in a brutal manner. The situation was not handled in an imaginative way and, on the night of May 29, the processionists were kept in two lock-up rooms in Mangaon police station.

''No food was provided and the activists were deprived of the right to contact their lawyers and relatives after arrest,'' the report said.

UNI