NHRC takes cognisance of 3 Haryana girls drowning in pit: ‘serious issues of violation of human rights’
The National Human Rights Commission sought a report from the Palwal district magistrate and superintendent of police within two weeks.
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The Commission directed the authorities to submit a comprehensive report, including details of actions taken against those responsible for the mishap and whether compensation has been provided to the next of kin of the deceased girls. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently took suo motu cognisance of a news report published in a Hindi daily on August 7, detailing the drowning of three girls in a deep pit in the Sewli village in Haryana’s Palwal district the previous day.
The incident prompted the NHRC on August 13 to issue notices to the Palwal district magistrate and superintendent of police seeking a detailed report within two weeks.
As per reports, three girls had gone to bathe in a pit dug near a brick kiln in the Sewli village when they drowned.
The father of one of the victims, a goat herder, was grazing his livestock nearby during the incident. The other two girls were the daughters of his brother. Family members rushed the girls to Palwal Government Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
The NHRC said, “The incident, if true, raises serious issues of violation of human rights.”
The Commission directed the authorities to submit a comprehensive report, including details of actions taken against those responsible for the mishap and whether compensation has been provided to the next of kin of the deceased girls. A copy of the news report was directed to be enclosed with the notices.
This is not the first time the NHRC has intervened in such cases in Haryana. On July 17, 2024, The Indian Express reported on the NHRC taking suo motu cognisance of the deaths of five workers due to asphyxiation while cleaning a septic tank in the Jind district.
The workers, employed without proper safety gear, succumbed to toxic gas inhalation. The NHRC then issued notices to the Haryana government, demanding a report on the incident, including details of safety protocol violations and compensation provided to the victims’ families.
The Commission in that case emphasised the need for stricter enforcement of labour safety regulations to prevent such tragedies, highlighting systemic issues in hazardous work environments.
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