The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a reported blast at an illegal coal mine that killed several workers in the Thangskai area of East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. The Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Meghalaya, calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. Reportedly, the incident has left several others trapped at unspecified depths. The Commission has observed that if the contents of the news report are true, it raises serious issues of violation of the human rights of the victims. The report is expected to include the status of the rescue operation, compensation to the aggrieved families and police investigation as well as steps taken by the authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
The NHRC) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the report case of the captivity of 5 children at Gurugram, Haryana. The Commission has issued a notice to Haryana’s Police Commissioner calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. According to the media report, the children were detained for an under-construction building of Gurugram by a contractor and his four workers for an under-construction building in Gurugram on suspicion that they were attempting to steal some construction material. The commission said that if the contents of the news report are true, they raise serious issues of violation of the human rights of the victim children.
