The Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC), set up in 1998, observed its 22nd anniversary on Saturday.
On the occasion, MHRC acting chairman Khaidem Mani said the commission “remained defunct for eight years and three months. It was only on June 25, 2018 that the BJP-led government revived the MHRC. However, many facilities, including infrastructure, and much-needed staff are yet to be made available.” He said that there were just three employees appointed by the State government. To keep the commission going, some staff were appointed but they had not been given remuneration as the MHRC had no cash.
Following charges galore of human rights violations in the insurgency-afflicted Manipur, there were orchestrated demands from many sections to set up a human rights commission under the Protection of the Human Rights Commission Act, 1993. Eventually, the MHRC was set up on June 27, 1998.
Mr. Mani said: “Since the MHRC is an institute, there should be four segments namely administration, law, investigations and research and analysis, each having at least 30 staff. Since there are hardly 10 persons in the MHRC now, it cannot be run in a proper way. A case was taken up against the Manipur Chief Secretary in this connection on May 22, 2020. The government had issued a notification on May 25, saying that the MHRC will henceforth be a full-fledged office and not a government-aided one”.
Instead of resorting to blockading of roads, resorting to lockdown and other forms of agitations in support of various demands, people could approach the MHRC. But the cash-strapped commission was helpless and hence there should be financial autonomy, he added.
