NHRC issues notice to Maharashtra govt, DGP over arrest of 5 activists

New Delhi, Aug 29: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu the cognizance of media reports about the arrest of five activists by the police from different cities on Tuesday in connection with the investigations in the Bhima-Koregaon violence.

The NHRC has observed that it appears, the standard operating procedure in connection with these arrests has not been properly followed by the police authorities, which may amount to the violation of their human rights.

The commission issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the state's police chief, saying standard operating procedure was not properly followed in the arrests of five activists.

The Maharashtra chief secretary and the director general of police have been asked to submit a 'factual report' in the matter within four weeks.

Pune Police on Tuesday raided the homes of prominent Left-wing activists in several states and arrested five of them - poet Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, activists Vernon Gonzalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, trade unionist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad and Chhattisgarh and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha in Delhi.