SHRC orders probe into harassment of whistle blower

Chennai: The State Human Rights Commission has ordered a probe into alleged harassment of a social activist by senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police, in Dindigul District. The police harassed social activist A.R. Gokulakrishnan of Poolatthur Village, Kodaikanal Taluk for his attempt to protect prime property and government land in the hills.

The petitioner submitted that police officials were mounting pressure on him and his family members for exposing a major scam involving a government official along with revenue authorities. The whistle blower was arrested on a false case filed by perpetrators of crime.

In 2012, he filed a PIL before Madras High Court for the retrieval of the Glass House, a cultural heritage, built by British during their colonial regime.

The glass house was set up on Reserve Forest Land and this was established for the benefit of nature lovers. This was grabbed and enjoyed for years together by a group of anti social elements. On his petition, the Madras High Court in 2013, directed the authorities to protect the place and evict the encroachers immediately and to return the place to the Forest Department.

The court directed the Dindigul district Collector to remove encroachment allegedly made by an IAS officer in Kodaikanal Forest Area.

However, senior public offices along with the perpetrators of the crime, engaged in harassing him and his family members. He was ostracised, harassed, and humiliated by the cops. The glass house, though extinct by then, and the forest land in and around it, all admeasuring to an extent of approximately 74.89 hectares of land, became free from the land grabbers. Soon after filing the PIL, the Thandikudi Police Station filed cases against him and his family members and threatened them with dire consequences.

D. Alexis Sudhakar, counsel for the petitioner, said he was arrested in fake FIRs and confined to judicial custody for 7 days. He was unable to pursue the agricultural activities. He sought action against Saravanan, Superintendant of Police, Dindigul, P. Chandran, DSP, Kodaikanal, S. Sathyanarayanan, SSI, R. Kannagandhi, SSI, Kodaikanal and K Chandrasekaran, SI, Thandikudi police station

The petitioner sought the Commission enquire into the matter and direct the state government  to pay '1.11 crore towards exemplary damages for violating his human rights and direct the State government  to recover the amount from the salaries of the police officials.

When the matter came up for hearing the Commission, it directed Dindigul, Additional DSP, Prohibition and Enforcement Wing, to conduct probe. DSP collected information from the petitioner and he will soon be interrogating the cops.