NHRC admits complaint against cops

NHRC admits complaint against cops
Published Date: 3/11/2009 - (NIE)

G Saravanan

Chennai, March 10: IN what could have been a perfect start to fix the uniform-clad policemen’s ‘visit’ to an RTI applicant’s house for ‘giving reply’ as a cognizable offence, National Human Rights Commission recently admitted a complaint by a Chennai-based RTI activist who personally witnessed it a few months ago. Instead of sending a reply through post for an RTI complaint filed by R Natarajan, an activist and a research scholar from R A Puram, with the Mylapore police station (E-1) about noise pollution and other environmental issues, a police inspector from the very station landed at his house at 10.30 pm in uniform to give a ‘reply’ in person. According to Natarajan, police presence in his house at the odd-hour not only made him angry but also dented his reputation among neighbours. His ‘visit’ was nothing less than an intimidation to the RTI applicant, who just asked a few details of action taken on his reports filed several months ago with the Mylapore police station, said Natarajan.

I took the bullying tactics by the policemen with the RTI applicant seriously and filed complaint with the State Human Rights Commission, he added. But for his bad luck, the Commission merely forwarded the complaint to the City Police Commissioner, who in turn forwarded it to the Deputy Commissioner for suitable action. But the Chennai police officials are yet to take any action against the sub-inspector and inspector of E-3 police station, Natarajan said.

Though the Tamil Nadu police have an appellate authority to send details sought under RTI pleas in the ranks of commissioners, an inspector from Mylapore police station sent a ‘detailed’ reply to Natarajan’s RTI pleas.

Irked by the cold response from the police officials, Natarajan filed the same complaint with the Chief Information Commissioner and NHRC seeking action against the policemen. After going through his complaint that was published in The New Indian Express in last August, NHRC scrutinized and registered as case number 2403/22/13/08-09.