Assam Human Rights Commission to keep watch on hospitals and police stations

 Taken sou motto case against third gender for harassing public

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The AHRC (Assam Human Rights Commission) has said that it will pay visits to medical colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, and police stations following allegations of their staff members not behaving in a friendly manner with patients and the public, respectively. The AHRC has also taken a suo motto case against people belonging to the third gender for their alleged harassment of the public, demanding cash for no rhyme or reason.

Addressing the media at the AHRC office here today, AHRC member Santanu Bharali said, "We have received many cases of human rights violations in police stations and medical facilities. There are allegations that doctors do not respond to their patients in a friendly manner. We have taken such allegations seriously and decided to visit health institutions. We also have similar allegations against police personnel manning police stations. We will visit police stations to ascertain if they have provisions for complainants to sit on and other facilities. We will also visit prisons to see if their inmates get proper facilities."

Bharali further said, "We have taken suo motto cognizance against a section of people belonging to the third gender. Allegations against them are that they enter people's residences, marriage halls, and public places and demand cash for no rhyme or reason. We have asked the Assam police what action they have taken against erring people belonging to the third gender. If the police have any provisions to detain people belonging to the third gender, if this gender has separate lockups, who, male or female, tackles erring people belonging to the third gender? We have not yet received any response from the police."

Bharali said, "People belonging to the third gender have their own problems. They cannot go to school, nor can their family members keep them in their homes. We will make inroads into their problems as well. We have sought the Social Welfare and other departments to let us know what measures they have taken for transgender people."

Bharali appealed to the people of Assam to file complaints without hesitation against violations of their rights. "Rights violation cases are fewer in Assam than in other states of the country," he said.

According to him, the AHRC has registered 91 cases so far in 2023–24, 270 cases in 2022–23, 275 cases in 2021–22, 304 cases in 2020–21, and 310 cases in 2019–20.

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