SHILLONG, Dec 10: Meghalaya recorded a total of 7,644 crimes in just three years from 2005. This was revealed in the human rights periodic report (2005-2008) compiled by the Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC). The MPHRC, which has been in the forefront of establishing an accountability and transparency system on human rights violation cases in Meghalaya since 1996, depicted a gloomy crime profile of the State in its report released today. The report gave the break-up of the crime cases as: 549 cases of murder, 473 cases of rape, 214 cases of violence against women and 201 cases of kidnapping and abduction of girls amongst others.
According to MPHRC secretary general Dino DG Dympep, “Only one person out of 473 accused of rape, has been convicted, while 8 of such accused were security personnel.” He also informed that there were two custodial deaths reported in 2007 and 2008. However, according to information obtained through the RTI, Meghalaya recorded 16 cases of custodial deaths, which also included a 12-year-old boy, he added. Dympep however, pointed out that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines were conveniently ignored and flouted by non-cooperation and non-compliance by the Police and Central Paramilitary forces who saw to it that the cases lapsed automatically after the mandatory one-year of filing the cases.
Dympep also informed that Meghalaya had not constituted a State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and it is one amongst the nine states of the country not to have a SHRC, while Manipur and Assam had already constituted their state HRCs. He maintained that since the State Women’s Commission (SWC) is a subsidiary body of the SHRC it had been, therefore, rendered toothless in absence of the parent body.”
The 29-page report recommended to the Government immediate constitution of the SHRC in conformity with the constitutional obligations and enactment of a prevention of torture law by 2010. It also called for revisiting the State police manual and prison legislation in line with international standards, and separation of the judiciary from executive to provide the prisoners the equal right to law. The report was released by Shillong Press Club president David O Laitphlang. THE SENTINEL
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