Manipur issue: People’s Watch demands resignation of chairpersons of panels

People’s Watch, a civil rights organisation, has demanded resignation of chairpersons and members of National Commissions for failing to take appropriate action with regard to human rights violations in Manipur, following clashes in the State which started in May.

Addressing mediapersons in Madurai on Monday, Executive Director of People’s Watch Henri Tiphagne said the National Commissions had failed in their duties and the chairpersons and the members were not fit to continue in their posts.

Steps were initiated by the National Commissions only after the Supreme Court on July 20 took suo motu cognisance of the video showing two women being paraded naked. The incident took place in May.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notice only after the Supreme Court took up the matter. The National Commission for Women (NCW) had received complaints on June 12 about the incidents of violence and sexual assault taking place in various parts of Manipur.

The complaints highlighted the brutal and inhumane acts of violence and how women were being targeted. However, the NCW took cognisance of the matter only on July 19, more than a month after it had received the complaints, Mr. Tiphagne said.

The National Commission for Protection of Child rights (NCPCR) wrote to the Manipur DGP seeking action against CPI(M) Politburo member Subhashini Ali and two others - Tarun Bharatiya of Meghalaya and Kamaludeen M of Tamil Nadu - for posting photographs of a minor alleged to have been involved in the incident in which the two women were paraded naked.

There has been no response from the National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

The Commissions at the State-level had also failed to take appropriate action. The silence of the Commissions at the national and State levels was against the tenets of democracy and morality, he said.

He demanded the resignation of the Chairperson of the NHRC Arun Kumar Mishra, former judge of the Supreme Court; Chairperson of NCW Rekha Sharma; the chairpersons of the other National Commissions and their members.