NHRC seeks report on death of 3 children in UP’s Meerut

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government and the state’s police chief within two weeks regarding the deaths of three children who fell into an open pit in Meerut district.

The apex human rights body took suo motu cognisance of a media report stating that three children, aged 8-9 years, drowned after falling into a six-feet-deep pit allegedly left open by a builder during the construction of a building in a newly developed colony in Meerut on August 3.

Reportedly, the children were returning from a shop after buying chocolates when the incident occurred.

In a press statement, the NHRC said that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious violation of the human rights of the victim children.

It issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) calling for a detailed report on the matter within two weeks, including the status of the investigation of the case as well as compensation, if any, provided to the next of kin of the victims.

According to the media report, published on August 5, the builder dug a six-feet-deep pit about 40 days ago in the colony and left it open. The pit had since been filled with rainwater.

Established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the NHRC, an autonomous statutory body, is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Its primary role is to protect and promote human rights, defined as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of individuals guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

The apex human rights body has the power to take suo motu (on its own motion) action based on media reports, public knowledge or other sources, without receiving a formal complaint of human rights violations.
IANS