No of complaints*

  • Total: 2,33,507
  • Against police: 1,28,605
  • Atrocities against women: 7,930
  • Service matters: 6,197
  • Atrocities in jails: 4,675
  • Atrocities against SC/ST/OBC: 1,608
  • Atrocities against labour: 1,554
  • Communal violence: 206
  • *From 1997 to Nov 30, 2015
  • Human rights abuse: Most cases against state police

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 8

At a juncture when revelations made by police “cat” Gurmeet Singh Pinky about police excesses committed during terrorism days are going viral on social media, a perusal of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) data revealed that Punjab Police continues to be biggest human right abuser in the state.

The trend continues even two decades after the state police had crushed militancy in Punjab.If the quantum of complaints received by Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) is anything to go by, the proportion of human right abuses committed by Punjab Police is far ahead of abuses committed by other departments/in other fields.

Of the total 2.33 lakh cases instituted by the commission since its inception in 1997, over 55 per cent complaints have been filed against the police department and its personnel.

A total of 1.28 lakh affected persons have approached the commission against police atrocities in the past 18 years.Interestingly, the police department has been earning this distinction of topping the abusers’ chart right since the year the commission was constituted in Punjab and the enumeration of such incidents began in the state. In the current year, the police top the chart with over 7,800 complaints in 11 months (till November 30).

“It is correct that the share of complaints about police atrocities is very high. Most of the affected persons approach the commission with four general complaints. While some allege that the police have registered a false FIR against their relatives, others claim that the police didn’t register an FIR on their complaint.

A large number of complainants also allege that the police have kept them in illogical confinement. Then, there is another set of complainants who allege police torture,” said Baljinder Singh, member of PSHRC, while confirming the figures.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/human-rights-abuse-most-cases-against-state-police/168645.html