M A I N   N E W S

4 die in custody every day: NHRC

New Delhi, October 6
Despite various sensitisation programmes for police and judiciary personnel, as many as 666 cases of custodial deaths have been received by the National Human Rights Commission in the past six months with UP topping the list.

Out of the 666 cases received by the NHRC, UP, reported about 100 cases of custodial deaths in the past six months, the commission sources told PTI. Uttar Pradesh is followed by Bihar which reported nearly 75 cases of custodial deaths, the sources said.

Maharashtra figured at third place with 69 cases of judicial and police custody deaths reported to the commission, the sources said.

While Andhara Pradesh reported as many as 58 cases of custodial deaths, Punjab and West Bengal had 40 and 30 cases respectively, according to NHRC’s figures for the last six months.

West Bengal was followed by Tamil Nadu with 29 cases, Karnataka, Haryana and Orissa with 25 each and Assam, Kerala, Delhi, Jharkhand with 22 cases each of custodial deaths, NHRC sources said.

The states from where the minimum number of cases of custodial deaths had been reported were Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura and Pondicherry with only one case reported in the past six months, NHRC sources said.

No incident of death in judicial and police custody were reported from militancy-infested state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman Diu and Lakshadweep, the sources said.

On the data of deaths in “homes” reported by the various state governments and union territories in the past six months, the sources said as many as 133 deaths had been reported to the commission.

Out of the total 133 deaths, Maharashtra alone accounted for as many as 123 deaths.

While Delhi reported seven such deaths, West Bengal, Haryana and Bihar reported one each in the past six months, the sources said. PTI 

Indian, Pakistani get human rights award

Nuremberg (Germany), October 6
Indian journalist Teesta Setalvad and Pakistani human rights activist Ibn Abdur Rehman were named today as winners of the International Nuremberg Human Rights Prize for 2003. At a human rights conference in Nuremberg, the 11-member prize jury cited Setalvad (40), and Rehman (72) for their efforts for human rights and peace. The prize, awarded every two years, comes with 15,000 euros ($ 14,680) and will be handed to the two recipients in September next year. DPA