Chennai: National Human Rights Commission on Monday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government asking it to submit a detailed report within two weeks on the issue of death of people gathered at political rallies due to scorching sun.
Taking cognizance of a complaint that several people were gathered, forced and threatened to sit for political rallies, in open fields under the scorching Sun, for four to five hours without drinking water and other basic facilities, the commission asked the chief secretary to take all necessary measures to prevent reoccurrence of all such incidents in the future.
“While political parties, especially during the election period, have every right to organise public meetings, it is also the duty of the state/district administration, while granting permissions for such meetings, to take all necessary steps considering the safety and security issues in mind,” the commission said in its notice.The repeated incidents, one after the other, point towards failure on part of the authorities, it said.
“Allegedly, for three public rallies on the April 11, 15 and 20, 2016 in Cuddalore, Virudunagar and Salem districts, people were forced and threatened to assemble as early as 11:00 am in the scorching heat, although, the meetings were to start after 03:00 pm. They were neither allowed to attend nature’s call nor provided with basic amenities like drinking water, thereby subjecting them to various hardships,” the notice said.
The EC had last week asked political parties to avoid organising rallies during the day time. The advice came after allegations that five people died in rallies organized by the AIADMK due to heat wave.
