Human rights bodies condemn ‘encounter’ killings
The Hindu
They urge State Human Rights Commission to intervene and hold inquiry
Human rights organisations based in Madurai — People’s Watch and Joint Action Against Custodial Torture (JAACT) — have condemned the recent police ‘encounter’ killings in Tamil Nadu. They urged the State Human Rights Commission to intervene in the issue.
The executive director of People’s Watch, Henri Tiphagne, said the State police had gunned down Murthaza of Jharkhand near Sriperumbudur and V. Durai Murugan of Thoothukudi district in Kovalam in the same week.
“This ‘encounter’ culture must stop. Cases were pending against both Murthaza and Durai Murugan. Trial would have led to their conviction. But instead, the police have gunned them down. There should be zero tolerance towards such killings,” he said.
The fear of being caught for traffic rule violation has indeed compelled many two-wheeler riders to wear helmets. But one cursory look at riders at any traffic junction in Bengaluru shows that more than half the riders have on their heads non-standard helmets, designed solely to evade the eye of law, with little concern for the safety of their own heads.
When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain the city’s Western-style civil liberties for 50 years. However, since the introduction of the 2020 law, Hong Kong authorities have severely limited free speech and assembly under the rubric of maintaining national security.