CHRC Odisha Members Raise Key Human Rights Issues at NHRC Interactive Meet
Balasore, 25 July 2025 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty):
Members of the Citizen’s Human Rights Clinic (CHRC), Odisha, actively participated in an interactive meeting organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at the State Guest House Conference Hall, Bhubaneswar.
Among the attendees were Gopabandhu Mallick, IPS (Retd.), Chairman of CHRC; Prof. Jayakrushna Mohanta, Secretary General; writer and novelist Rasmi Roul; Banashri Mohapatra, Women’s Wing Secretary; Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera, senior journalist and Life Member of CHRC; Prof. Srikanta Mallick, National Spokesperson; Gouri Rani Sahoo; and Sudhakar Nayak.
During the meeting, Gopabandhu Mallick drew the Commission’s attention to the continued non-compliance by police authorities with the Supreme Court’s landmark 1997 directives in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal, which were issued to prevent custodial torture and deaths.
He emphasized that the 11-point guidelines laid down by the apex court to safeguard individuals in custody are often ignored. Mallick urged the NHRC to direct the State Governments to ensure strict adherence to these safeguards.
Prof. Jayakrushna Mohanta and Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera raised concerns over systemic delays in issuing birth and death certificates. Citing the provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which mandates issuance within 15 days, they informed the Commission that officials are routinely failing to comply with this timeframe. They requested the NHRC’s intervention to resolve the persistent issue affecting citizens’ rights.
Following the meeting, CHRC Odisha, in collaboration with Purbasha and the Sabitri Devi Charitable Trust, submitted three detailed memorandums to the NHRC seeking urgent and appropriate action on the raised concerns.
