The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Haryana Principal Secretary to conduct an inquiry into a case of alleged sexual assault on women prisoners in Faridabad, and submit its report within eight weeks.
Two women prisoners had alleged that Nimika Jail’s Deputy Superintendent had sexually assaulted them. An appeal was filed by Ravi Nitesh, president of Mission Bhartiyam with the NHRC, in May 2013. Following this, the Commission conducted continuous iquiries and various reports were asked from Haryana jail officials in this regard.
Interestingly, the local administration’s report in response to the first notice by the NHRC for submission of report stated that no sexual assault had taken place. However, the NHRC refused to accept the report and ‘said that the statements of victims do not reject the probability of sexual assault within the jail premises as no one else could be witness there’.
The Commission also asked the Principal Secretary to conduct an inquiry.
The commission, in its directive, clarified: “Mr. Nitesh, a human rights activist, in his complaint dated May 16, 2013, alleged that two woman prisoners at Nimika Jail, Faridabad, were sexually assaulted by the Deputy Superintendent of the jail. The incident was reported by them to the Chief Judicial Magistrate during his official visit to the jail. Thereafter, the victims were allegedly beaten and tortured by jail officials for conveying the incident to the Chief Judicial Magistrate. The complainant has requested the intervention of the Commission.”
