MANINDER Mattewal is an unassuming woman who likes to maintain a low profile. She is not comfortable with compliments, which I am very sure she has been receiving all her life. Even if you praise her beautiful sharp features, she shies away like the Lajwanti plant.

However, this delicate lady has an extremely strong side to her. The first time I witnessed this part of her character was at my residence. With rapt attention, she was listening to Ranjana and Brijesh Ahuja singing Mohammad Rafi songs. Her husband Hardev Mattewal, a fun-loving man, was, however, merrily laughing away with two bureaucrats in one corner of he lawn. To my amazement, she walked up to him and said, "Hardev, you are disturbing the singers."

Another incident, which has remained stuck in my mind, dates back to the death anniversary of Alfred Bawa, a renowned guitarist who died at the prime age of 28. The Majlis Journalists and Artists Association had organised a musical evening at Tagore Theatre in memory of this artiste of the region.

 Alfred’s wife, widowed mother and uncle had been crying inconsolably at the function. Maninder Mattewal was our guest of honour. When the function was over, all the guests began to leave but Maninder went straight to the distraught family and took the wife and mother in her arms and began to console them, oblivious of her husband and organisers who were waiting for her.

Her appointment as Member of the Punjab Human Rights Commission by the Badal government generated a lot of talk. There were comments like, "What does she know about human rights?" "What are her credentials that she has become a Member?" "She has been appointed solely because she is the wife of Hardev Singh Mattewal, the Advocate-General of Punjab." I shall like my readers to note such gossip takes place only in case of the appointment of a woman to a senior post. For instance, when a bureaucrat like M S Chahal got appointed to this very Commission, nobody talked about his credentials and knowledge about human rights. No doubt, he was a seasoned bureaucrat and commands enormous respect till date, but Maninder Mattewal too was not only a senior faculty member of the Law Department of Panjab University but had also trained herself in matters of human rights for two months in France.

I was shocked when Gurcharan Singh Tohra made venomous and derogatory remarks against Maninder Mattewal at a press conference in Chandigarh recently. Primarily, Tohra’s attack was directed at Badal, yet his feudal attitude towards women surfaced for all to see. He said: "This Human Rights Commission should be abolished, as it is nothing more than a white elephant created by Badal. Now what about this Maninder Mattewal? She could not teach at the Law Department, hence, she was made a Member here."

Obviously, Tohra never bothered to find out about Maninder’s credentials. That she successfully taught law for 19 long years in Panjab University was apparently not known to Tohra. Also Tohra had not done his homework before singling out a woman and commenting on her in a disparaging manner.

The likes of Tohra ought to know a truthful person like Maninder had, in fact, become a source of embarrassment not only for the Badal government but also for her husband within the very first year of her appointment to the

Punjab Human Rights Commission.

A couple of her Single Bench orders went directly against the state government. For instance, take the case of Baba Darshan Singh of Dhaki Sahib Gurdwara in Ludhiana district. A land dispute had arisen between the followers of the Baba and supporters of Jagdish Singh Garcha, a former Akali minister in May 1999. It was alleged that the supporters of Garcha had prevented the Baba from returning to his dera. The feud climaxed when cases were registered against the followers of the Baba and the police brutally lathicharged the followers who sat on a dharna on the Grand Truck road.

When the International Human Rights Organisation approached the Punjab Human Rights Commission in this connection, Maninder directed ADGP Anil Bhatnagar to personally look into the allegations. Bhatnagar, who is known for his judiciousness and integrity, gave a report indicting the Ludhiana police.

In his report he had stated that police bias against Baba Darshan Singh and his followers was found to be correct. He had also added that the allegations of maltreatment, misbehaviour, humiliation and third-degree torture against a large number of followers by the police, including senior district-level officers, were found to be true.

Finally, in her order, Maninder had stated, "The matter involves political interests and as per the report of the ADGP Anil Bhatnagar, the allegations of brutality against the followers of the Baba by the Punjab police are not ruled out. Hence, the matter must be placed before the Chairperson for referring it to the full Commission."

Despite the fact that a Minister of the Badal government was directly accused in this case, Maninder played absolutely fair and displayed no political considerations.

Incidentally, it is well known in all political circles that both Tohra and

Baba Darshan Singh of Dhaki Sahib belong to the same political camp that is opposed to Badal’s party.

Besides, there are several cases wherein Maninder has given relief to complainants. In many cases the state government was ordered to pay compensation. Going through several of her judgements, it is quite evident that she has never been burdened by the thought that Badal had appointed her.

Take a random case of Mohinder Kaur, a tailoress in Nawanshehar, who was arrested by the police on allegations of having kidnapped a child in September 1998. Within two days she died in mysterious circumstances in police custody by consuming a poisonous substance. The post-mortem also confirmed that she died of poisoning. While the case was still on, the Punjab Human Rights Commission’s Double Bench, comprising Justice J S Sekhon and Maninder Mattewal, ordered the state to give an interim relief of Rs 1.5 lakh to the family of Mohinder, as compensation. The money was equally distributed among Mohinder’s daughter, son and husband.

Maninder Mattewal enjoys a no-nonsense reputation within the Commission, even though she treats the complainants in a kind and caring manner. For instance, when the complainants enter her chamber, a humane touch awaits them — they are given a glass of water and and are made to comfortably sit and narrate their tale of woe. Maninder never hesitates to calm and console anybody who breaks down. I am sure, in the cold and indifferent atmosphere that prevails all round us, such persons are rare to find.

The information came as a surprise to me that Maninder, a product of Government College for Women, Chandigarh, thrice represented Punjab state in the national swimming championship and once won a bronze.