Karnataka: NHRC notice to prisons department on Shobha Karandlaje's complaint

Bengaluru: Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje has requested the National Human Rights Commission to take cognisance of alleged human rights violation at the Central prison.

Ms Karandlaje has written a letter to National Human Rights Commission Chairman, Justice H.L. Dattu, requesting him to send an NHRC team to Parappana Agrahara jail to hear the grievances of the inmates.

She alleged that because of a tussle between top police officers, 32 prisoners were beaten up and some of them sustained injuries on their back, neck and stomach.

Injured prisoners were shifted to Mysuru, Ballari, Belagavi and Davanagere jails, and as a result, family members cannot meet the inmates. Official sources also said the prisoners were shifted to prevent them from protesting against the misdeeds at the prison, she alleged.

They were shifted because they started a protest inside the jail as they were not allowed to speak to DIG (Prison) D. Roopa when she visited the jail. Ms Roopa brought out certain startling irregularities inside the jail, Ms Karandlaje explained.

The National Human Rights Commission took cognisance of a complaint by Ms Karandlaje about inhuman treatment of the 32 prisoners. Based on her complaint, dated July 17, NHRC issued notices to the DGP and IG Prisons, Karnataka to submit a detailed report on the allegations, along with present location and state of health of the injured/shifted prisoners within four weeks.

The commission has observed that allegations of physical torture of the prisoners and their overnight transfer to other jails, in an injured condition, if true, raise serious issue of violation of their right to life and dignity. A prisoner is not a slave of the state and is not denuded of all his fundamental rights, while in judicial custody, NHRC said.