Srinagar: J&K National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah announced the formation of a new human rights body on Monday, calling it a temporary option for the faulty State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).“The body will work in its place until the state is restored and a formal SHRC is re -established,” Dr. Abdullah told toi.The newly formed body will be led by party MLA and retired High Court Judge Hasnain Masudi. Two additional members, including a woman, will also be appointed in the human rights panel.Dr. Abdullah said, “We felt the need to establish this body due to the increasing number of human rights issues in Jammu and Kashmir.” “In the absence of an official commission, this wing will take cognizance of the violation of rights and ensure that the concerns are raised and addressed,” he said.In October 2019, after the disability of Article 370, J&K SHRC was closed, causing hundreds of cases to be unresolved. The SHRC, established in 1997, handled around 8,529 cases before the closure. It was the only semi-judic body that was now formed under the Human Rights Act of Cramented J&K and was to investigate cases of human rights violations, especially after the rebellion in Kashmir in 1990, at the time of its closure in 2019, hundreds of cases related to alleged rights violations were pending.“Our human rights bodies will look into grievances of complaints and violations of rights. People will have a platform to come forward. Public safety act, transfer to prisoners, and more such as serious issues. At least this body will give people a platform to clarify their concerns, and will help follow the cases of human rights violations,” Hasnain Masudi said.
