The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Home Secretary and Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary over the gross human rights violation in quarantine centres and brutal attack on whistleblowers and harassment of journalists all over the country, including Odisha.
The Odisha police had arrested two persons, including a Covid- survivor, after an audio clip of the two persons allegedly discussing “false corona positive reports” in State hospitals went viral. Lack of fire safety measures in designated Covid Hospitals including the fire mishap in a Covid Hospital in Cuttack were also taken up by the NHRC besides other issues.Seeking intervention of the NHRC, civil rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy moved a petition citing several instances of deaths, injuries, sexual offences, snake bites, electrocution, and suicides in quarantine centres In India.
He also pointed out the brutal assault, arrests and threats to the mediapersons, who are risking their lives to convey the news of mismanagement, corruption in the procurement of medical supplies and other incidents occurring in the quarantine centres and Covid Hospitals.The failure on the part of the State Government to provide proper medical facilities, victimisation of the general public and undignified treatment of the dead bodies were also brought to the notice of the commission by Tripathy.
