NHRC notices to Kerala govt, DGP over political workers' killings

The NHRC has observed that difference of opinion and healthy criticism are integral part of a multi-party democratic political system, but "bloodshed in the name of political and ideological differences is neither ethical nor acceptable in a civilised society".

The commission has asked the state government, through its chief secretary, and the director general of police to take effective steps to stop such killings, and has sought detailed response from the two in four weeks, the NHRC said in a statement today.

"The brutal killing of the party workers are indicative of growing rivalry among the workers of different parties and poor state of law and order situation in the state of Kerala.

There is an urgent need to curb the ongoing violence which amounts to violation of right to life of the victims," the rights panel said.

The NHRC said that though the matter was already before it, still, in view of the gravity and sensitivity of the matter and after "finding no apparent improvement in the situation", it again took suo motu cognisance of the situation.

The commission had on January 25 taken cognisance of the matter on the basis of a media report on the gruesome killing of the RSS and BJP workers in Kerala.

It had called for a report from the chief secretary, along with the specific information on whether any relief had been granted by the state government to the victims or their families. The report is yet to be received, the NHRC said.

A detailed report had been received from the Kerala police chief, saying only members of any particular party are not being murdered or attacked in the state but in some political issues, members of all parties have been attacked, the NHRC said in the statement.

Upon perusal of the report, the commission had on June 12 directed the DGP to submit a list of such cases.

The commission said it also registered a case on a complaint of Kummanam Rajashekaran, the BJP state president.

He had specifically mentioned incidents of vandalising the state BJP office at Thiruvananthapuram and the killing of an RSS worker. The commission had on July 31 directed for an on-the-spot inquiry by its own team, the NHRC added.