NHRC notice to Delhi Police, MHA over Anna's arrest

NEW DELHI: The government’s decision to crack down on the anti-graft crusader , Anna Hazare, and his supporters in a pre-emptive strike, has invited the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission . Acting on the basis of a complaint filed by a human rights activist, it has issued notices to the Union home secretary and the Delhi Police commissioner , asking them to file a report within two weeks on the entire episode.

The NHRC issued the notices on Tuesday evening after it received a complaint from a human rights activist Anirudhasudhan Chakraborty , who alleged that the provisions of Constitution and international human rights conventions were violated in the police action against Hazare and his supporters. “The commission received a complaint regarding the preventive action against Hazare.

The complainant claimed that Hazare and his supporters were to stage a peaceful protest and action has been taken against them,” an NHRC spokesperson said. “The NHRC has asked Union Home Secretary RK Singh and Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta to submit a report about the action taken against Hazare and others within two weeks,” the spokesperson said. Hazare and his seven supporters , including former union minister Shanti Bhushan, retired IPS official and Magsaysay Award winner Kiran Bedi, activists Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia , were placed under preventive arrest this morning after the Gandhian announced that he would defy prohibitory orders to stage a protest at Jai Prakash Narain Park near the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.

Hazare was later packed off to Tihar jail for seven days after he refused bail. Their arrests sparked off protests across the country, forcing the Opposition to disrupt proceedings in the two Houses of Parliament on Tuesday . The Opposition has now decided to re-enact their gameplan in the two Houses of Parliament on Wednesday unless the prime minister made a statement.