NHRC notice to Maha govt, DGP over death of man beaten up in public in Jalgaon
New Delhi (PTI): The National Human Rights Commission on Friday said it has issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the state's police chief over reports that a 21-year-old man died after being allegedly beaten up in public by a group of people in a village in Jalgaon district.
Reportedly, the victim was sitting at a cafe with a young female person belonging to a different community when a group of 8-10 men confronted him, and after seeing a photograph in his mobile phone, "started assaulting him", the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement.
The perpetrators allegedly dragged the man to his village and continued to beat him up while parading through the streets, before leaving him near his house severely injured, it said.
The NHRC has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 21-year-old man died after severe beating in public by a group of people in a village in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, on August 11".
The commission has observed that the content of the news report, if true, raises serious issues of violation of human rights.
Therefore, it has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Maharashtra, seeking a detailed report in two weeks. The report is expected to include the status of the investigation as well as compensation, if any, paid to the next of kin of the victim, the statement said.
According to the media report published on August 13, the family members of the victim were also allegedly assaulted when they tried to save him. Reportedly, the severely injured victim was rushed to a hospital where the doctors "declared him dead on arrival", it said.
In another statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a "reported cremation of a man's body" by Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, after family members allegedly "failed to turn up" from Giridih in Jharkhand.
The GRP has claimed that the family "refused" to identify the body and receive it, while the family members have maintained that they "could not reach" Agra from Giridih in just a day's time to receive his body, the rights panel said.
Later, the family performed the last rites with his effigy, the statement said.
The commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Uttar Pradesh, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
Issuing the notices, the commission referred to its 2021 advisory for protecting the rights of the dead by upholding their dignity. It emphasised that the right to life, fair treatment and dignity, derived from Article 21 of the Constitution of India, extends not only to living persons but also to their dead bodies.
According to the media report carried on August 14, the family claimed that the police called and informed about the death and "gave one day to collect the body before it was sent for post-mortem and cremated locally", it said.
"But they did not have enough money to go there. Still, two men tried to go to Agra, but lost their way while changing trains at Dhanbad and came back. The family of the deceased is reportedly asking as to why the body of the deceased could not be sent to Jharkhand," the NHRC said.
Reportedly, the GRP claimed that the force had asked someone in the family to come down to identify the body, and even had promised to arrange and pay for their return travel to Agra, but "they declined", it said.
In a separate statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that in Lucknow, parents of an ailing girl were allegedly forced to rush her to a private hospital after the doctors at a government-run hospital "did not provide" her any treatment, despite repeated requests for two hours.
Reportedly, when her condition deteriorated, the father carried her on his motorcycle to a private hospital as the government hospital did not even provide an ambulance, it said.
The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, seeking a detailed report in two weeks, including the health status of the ailing girl.
According to the media report carried on August 14, the aggrieved family had travelled all the way from their village in Sitapur district to the government-run Ramsagar Mishra 100-Bed Combined Hospital in Bakshi Ka Talaab area of Lucknow for the medical treatment of the girl suffering from jaundice, it said.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
