BANGALORE: City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari has refuted the allegation levelled against him by the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), and termed the allegations “false, baseless and malicious.” In a press release, Bidari asked SICHREM to refrain from indulging in such propaganda against him. “If they continue to do so, I have no other option but to take legal action,” he warned.
Bidari clarified that in 1999, the National Human Rights Commission had constituted a Commission headed by the High Court Judge Sadashiva and former CBI director N. Narasimhan to conduct a detailed inquiry against the allegations made by (SICHREM) and few others regarding alleged violation of human rights in anti-Veerppan operation.
“After detailed enquiry over a period of four years, the NHRC has concluded that all the allegations are false and baseless. At no stage did the Commission maintain that I was directly responsible for human rights violations.
The report submitted by the commission has been accepted by the NHRC,” he said.
“Though, the constitution of the inquiry commission was in violation of the provisions of the NHRC Act and rules, in the interest of justice I submitted myself to inquiry. It is disgraceful on the part of SICHREM which earlier acted as complainant and prosecutor before the commission, to now act as judges,” he stated.
“Veerappan and his gang killed hundreds of civilians, including many tribals, police and forest officers, poached thousands of elephants and denuded the forest which was full of sandalwood without leaving a single tree in a span of twenty years. Many of the families of the innocent victims have become destitute. The SICHREM expressed no concern for the human rights of those killed. They have not shown any concern for the massive poaching of elephants and denudation of virgin forests. On the other hand, they have repeatedly shown concern for human rights of persons accused of serious offences like, murder, etc,” he observed.