ITANAGAR, 15 May: The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) has written to the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) district magistrate (DM) to disclose the whereabouts of the people detained under the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014.
The organisation said that it has received numerous complaints about people being detained and beaten up by police in Itanagar, and that the family members and relatives are not being informed about the whereabouts of the detained individuals.
“It is mandatory that the family or relatives of a detained person be informed about their whereabouts, as per Section 8 (1) of the AP UAP Act, 2014. However, in many cases, the whereabouts of the detained individuals are unknown, causing great distress to their loved ones,” the human rights organisation said in a letter to the DM.
It urged the DM to take immediate action to disclose the whereabouts of the detained individuals and allow their relatives to meet them.
“These individuals are students, mothers, and fathers. What crime have they committed to be treated as dangerous criminals?” the HRLN questioned.
It also accused the administration of using excessive power and brutality.
“The right to life and liberty as enshrined in the Constitution cannot be compromised under any circumstances,” the organisation said, and urged the DM to “release the detained persons with fair warning, as they are not from criminal background,” the letter read.