Ehsanul Haque Jasim :The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) can’t play its due role on issues of human rights violations in the country. It also fails to take up issues even after the directives of the High Court. NHRC Chairman Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman told this to The New Nation on Wednesday. NHRC, he said cannot play its part due to poor manpower on one hand and lapses and lacuna of law on the other. The HC on Monday issued a rule against the NHRC. A bench of the apex court asked the Commission and its Chairman to explain why the NHRC is silent in taking legal step against a person responsible for raping a child. The court passed the order after a preliminary hearing on a writ petition. The HC asked the NHRC to explain by October 7. It also asked the Commission to explain why its stance that murder, rape and acid attack at individual level are not human rights violations should not be declared illegal.When drawn his attention to the HC rule, Dr Mizan said that partial truthwas placed before the court. “We have taken initiative in this regard. Those who have gone to the court on the issue, they might have some intentions against NHRC,” he said. According to the case statement, one Kabir of Comilla raped a Madrasha student of Class VII of Chowddagram in Comilla last year. The victim’s father filed a case in this connection with Chowddagram Police Station on August 30. However, a Comilla tribunal granted conditional bail to Kabir on February 24 this year. The tribunal reportedly asked Kabir to marry the victim within two weeks. Meanwhile, the victim refused to marry the accused and her family challenged the bail order but failed, as they could not to collect certified copy of the bail order. Then the family left Comilla and went to Dhaka. Later, they sought the NHRC’s assistance. But, the Commission, what the family alleged , did not extend any help to them. Later, a writ petition was filed in this regard. Dr Mizan said, “Following the complain, we sent letter to the concerned authorities through home ministry. The authorities replied to our correspondence. We have nothing to do in this connection as there are some legal obstacles. According to the law, the Commission has no authority to investigate any case on its own or we can’t take action directly against accused persons.” We have to acknowledge the reality as there are weaknesses and lapses of law and NHRC does not enjoy due power. Expressing annoyance over poor manpower and resource constraints of NHRC, he said, “We have only 18 persons against 16 crore people of the country. Tell me how it can function effectively. If we have to take action against all acts of violence and crimes, what will be the job of police and other law enforcing agencies.” The National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh was reconstituted in 2009 as a national advocacy institution for human rights promotion and protection.
