Meera C. Saxena, chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), on Tuesday expressed concern over the police officials allegedly adjudicating land deals and civil disputes in police stations.
Speaking at the inaugural function of a three-day training programme on ‘gender sensitisation’, organised by the National Human Rights Commission, United Nations Women, Centre for Social Research and the Karnataka Police Academy here, Ms. Saxena criticised the police personnel for taking part in the negotiation land value and adjudicating land deals.
“These are civil disputes. It is not for the police to arbitrate in such cases,” she said.
She expressed fear that the police arbitration led to settling a dispute in favour of the powerful. Whenever a rich and a poor man were the parties, the settlement would be in favour of the rich. Similarly, the settlement would invariably be in favour of a man, if the dispute were to be between a man and a woman, she said.
Arbitration by the police was akin to rulings by village panchayats, which were invariably dominated by the upper caste, leading to victimisation of weaker castes, she said.
Ms. Saxena expressed disappointment over the alleged injustice being meted out to transgenders by the police. “They are also human beings. Their sexual preference is nobody’s business. Police should respect them,” she said.
Contending that 50 per cent of complaints of human rights violations received by the SHRC were against the police, Ms. Saxena said that the police personnel played an important part in the common man’s life. She estimated that around 60 per cent of all complaints received against human rights violations by SHRC were maintainable. “Out of them, 50 per cent were against the police,” she added.
Although there was immense public pressure on the police to act on social crimes, she cautioned the police against taking the law into their own hands and victimising innocent people. “Your seniors’ orders may be sacrosanct. But, when you have to pay for the mistakes, nobody will come to your rescue. It will be your head, which will be on the chopping block,” she warned.
