Move to take back TN SHRC chief’s guard raises questions

CHENNAI: In what appears to be a continuation of the simmering hostility between the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the police department, the guard on security detail at the SHRC Chairperson's house has been withdrawn.

A senior police officer confirmed the decision and said that the security would be withdrawn from Monday onwards, but denied that it had anything to do with the recent events.

"A decision on withdrawing security to the SHRC chairperson was taken at least three weeks ago during a security review meeting for VIPs," the officer said.

Last Wednesday, SHRC chairperson and former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Manikumar wrote to the Public Department secretary asking the secretary of SHRC, R Kannan to be relieved immediately. Kannan, the managing director of ELCOT was given additional charge as SHRC secretary.

The tussle, which has the chairperson on the one side and the State police headquarters and the secretary on the other, is mainly over the transfer of DSP M Sundaresan, who submitted a preliminary report that prima facie established that the Kancheepuram police illegally detained and brutally assaulted suspects in the murder of a retired police inspector, leading to their hospitalisation.

SHRC had also summoned city Police Commissioner A Arun over an assistant commissioner's encounter bravado speech but later deleted the name of the Commissioner from the array of parties after his counsel submitted an explanation.

The counsel had argued that the Commissioner's statement that the city police would speak in the language rowdies understand referred to some of them speaking Telugu and that it does not violate human rights.

Anbumani slams ‘vindictive’ move, calls for protection & independence of ex-CJ

 PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned the State government for ‘revoking’ personal security provided to Justice S Manikumar, Chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), alleging that it is a 'vindictive' move of the DMK regime for initiating action against police excesses.

Anbumani reminded the government that the post of SHRC's chairperson is equivalent to the Chief Justice of High Courts. "Security has been recalled to put pressure on the chairperson, who is investigating three police encounter killings and violence against murder accused in Kancheepuram," the PMK chief said in a statement.

Alleging that the government expects the SHRC to function according to its dictum, Anbumani urged the DMK regime to ensure continuous protection for Manikumar apart from allowing the SHRC to function as an independent body.