New Delhi, Sep 25 : The Uttar Pradesh government has failed to respond within the deadline set by the National Human Rights Commission on the Bhatta-Parsaul violence, thus delaying finalisation of the rights body's report on the issue.
According to NHRC officials, the deadline ended over a month ago and the Commission will finalise the report on the police firing and allegations of rape in two villages of Greater Noida during the farmers' agitation in May after receiving the state government's reply.
After a visit to the villages, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had claimed that women had been raped, people thrashed and houses destroyed.
Though NHRC has not taken a final view on the incident, National Commission for Women is understood have submitted a report to the government confirming rape of women during police action on the basis of statements of seven victims.
A “pained” NHRC sent its investigative team to probe allegations of violence over land acquisition and complaints of police atrocities in Greater Noida. Four persons, including two policemen, were killed in the clashes and firing between farmers and police in Bhatta-Parsaul villages on May 7.
The team submitted its findings to NHRC Chairman K G Balakrishnan in early July. The NHRC then forwarded the findings to the Uttar Pradesh government seeking its reply on the matter within four weeks.
“That four weeks have ended over a month ago. Another four weeks have passed. We should give them adequate time. The full Commission will finalise the report after we receive the response from the state government. But we cannot wait for long,” a top NHRC official said.
“If it (the reply) does not come in a reasonable time, we will have to take a call,” the official said.
In its report, the NCW said women were raped and recommended a CBI probe into the incident. NCW sources said the report was submitted to Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath.
Sources said seven women had given statements to NHRC and National Commission for Scheduled Castes that they were raped despite being under pressure from the Uttar Pradesh government to not give such statements.The NCW is also planning to move court to get a FIR registered against policemen.
“Taking the issue seriously, we had written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary. We will now move the court within a week to get the FIR registered against the accused policemen,” NCW Chairperson Mamata Sharma had said last week.
Earlier, National Commission for SC/ST, based on the affidavits of seven women, had ordered Senior Superintendent of Police of Noida to register FIR against the accused policemen.“But the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister handed the case to CB-CID,” Sharma said. PTI
