DMK urges rights panel to visit prisons

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 2. Complaining of `brutal violation of human rights' by the police and jail authorities against its cadres arrested throughout the State, the DMK today appealed to the State Human Rights Commission to visit all prisons and report to the Union and State Governments to protect the `human rights of the detenus'.

In a petition filed before the Commission, the general secretary, Mr. K. Anbazhagan, said the cadres and sympathisers of the party and its allies and innocent public detained in the wake of the `brutal and inhuman' arrest of the DMK leader, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, and two Union Ministers, were being denied all rights and facilities in the prisons, on instructions from authorities.

According to a DMK release, the Union Minister, Mr.A. Raja, the former Law Minister, Mr. Aladi Aruna, and others presented the petition to Mr. Justice K. Swamidurai of the Commission. He assured the DMK that the commission would visit the jails to inspect the way the detenus were being treated.

Mr. Anbazhagan's petition noted that while the capacity of the prisons in the State was around 20,000, nearly 50,000 DMK cadres, sympathisers, allied political party leaders and innocent public had been illegally remanded in jails and sub- jails. Since there was no space for detaining all political prisoners, the jail authorities had kept most of them on open grounds without basic amenities. He had received complaints from the detained cadres and visitors of lack of water to drink, wash and clean, and toilet facilities and sanitary conditions in all prisons. He feared that this could lead to an epidemic threatening the detenus' lives.

When the detenus sought the amenities, they were ``brutally attacked and injured by the police in the prisons''. Calling it a violation of their Constitutional rights and various directions of Human Rights Commissions, Mr. Anbazhagan's petition said the Union Minister, Mr. T. R. Baalu, detained in the Vellore prison, went on fast in protest.

Alleging that the facilities were not being provided on instructions from the Chief Minister, Mr. Anbazhagan said unless the Commission visited all the prisons immediately, the brutal violation of rights would continue unchecked and the life of the cadres would be in peril.

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Section  : Southern States
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