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Civil liberty a `severe casualty' in Rajasthan

Special Correspondent

218 cases of custodial deaths in five years

JAIPUR: A report on the status of human rights in Rajasthan released here over the weekend expressed concern over widespread discrimination against Dalits and tribals, dowry deaths, female foeticide, domestic violence and a high rate of custodial violence and deaths in the State where it said the civil liberty had been a "severe casualty''.

The report, largely based on secondary data from the official and non-Government sources, affirmed that the human rights scenario in the desert State was not very encouraging with the rights of marginalised people being violated with impunity. It has been prepared by two NGOs -- Pairvi and Development Coordination Network Committee Trust.

The Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission, Justice N.K. Jain, releasing the 44-page report here, said even though there was very little understanding of human rights issue in the society at large, attempts for generating awareness on the issue were yielding "slow but positive results''.

Ironically, the report blamed the Commission for not being able to fulfil the expectations of people in terms of protecting and promoting human rights and increasing awareness about them.

Mr. Justice Jain said the Commission was at present seized of nearly 1,200 cases and had made 46 recommendations to the State Government since July 2005 when he took over. The State Government has so far accepted 23 recommendations, rejected two and others are under consideration.

The Human Rights Commission chief agreed that the progress in evolving a mindset in favour of protection of human rights even among the Government functionaries was very slow, but pointed out that the Commission had taken significant steps, including bringing out a number of publications, on this front.

The report pointed out that Rajasthan figured in the top six States in terms of complaints received at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and was ranked fourth in the ratings of recorded crimes against women. Rajasthan was earlier on the apex of the list of States topping the chart of atrocities on Dalits.

The report said 218 cases of custodial deaths had taken place in the State between 2001 and 2005.

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