NHRC notice to Mah DGP, Chief Secy on MNS violence

New Delhi, Oct 22 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) today issued notices to Maharashtra's Chief Secretary and Director General of Police on the attacks on North Indian aspirants for the Railway jobs by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena(MNS) and asked them to reply within two weeks.

The Commission sent out the notices, taking suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report on the depleting law and order situation in Maharashtra in the wake of the violence unleashed on the North Indians by the Raj Thackeray's MNS activists, particularly referring to the attack on North Indian students who had gone to Mumbai to take the Railway Recruitment Board Exams on October 19.

It was also stated in the report that the State Government's responses to the violent activities of the MNS have not generated confidence, on the contrary, the State's inaction seems to have boosted the MNS' proclivities.

It said MNS party chief Raj Thackeray has allegedly been involved in abetting crime, instigating his party workers to violence, time and again. In February his year, the MNS workers went on rampage in Pune and Nashik over jobs for ''sons of the soil'' but the Maharashtra Government allegedly failed to tackle the situation.

Later, a section of the MNS activists damaged a large number of educational institutions in the Pune region. About a month ago, the MNS supporters again entered in a row over cine actor-turned-MP Jaya Bachchan ''preferring to speak'' in Hindi at a music launch in Mumbai and the MNS supporters created trouble for an upcoming Amitabh Bachchan release. As a result the organisers had to abandon the premiere. Again Raj Thackeray created a row over the issue of Marathi sign-boards but reportedly the State Government, Home Department, in consultation with their Law and Judiciary Department, concluded that there was no case against him.

The Commission, in its notice, has said that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the citizens of the country.

UNI MMG SBC SB KN1510