Minorities' Commission seeks powers like NHRC

Last Updated: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 18:44

Tags: Minorities Commission, NCM, NHRC

New Delhi: After battling for several years for a constitutional status, the National Commission for Minorities has now dropped the demand but seeks powers to investigate on the lines of National Human Rights Commission.

The Commission has now dropped its demand for constitutional status in lieu of strengthening weaknesses in the existing NCM Act, Chairperson of NCM Wajahat Habibullah said.

"We have dropped the demand for constitutional status in exchange for strengthening the law itself. Simply constitutional status with the same law will not make any difference at all," Habibullah said.

He said there is a whole infrastructure in India including judicial and administrative and the job of the NCM is to get only these institutions to work.

"NCM can't start replacing them. There is a national structure that has to work. Minorities are protected by law." he said.

The NCM chief at the same time accepted that there are certain weakneesses in the NCM Act and that it does not have enough investigative powers.

"What we have asked for is that the investigative powers conferred upon NHRC should also be given to NCM," he said.

Habibullah said NCM apprised the ministry of its demands two-three months ago but it is yet to get a response.

"That is under consideration of ministry. I believe they are considering it," he said.

NCM soon after it came under a separate ministry for minority affairs, which came into being in the UPA-I government.

PTI

First Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 18:44

Comments

kishore kumar mishra - berhampur ,odisha
there is no question of discrimination to the minority in india . as it can be seen that maximum sucesful people of india belongs to minority class , even in the rural area people belongs to minority are getting due respect , although the minoriity people may be discriminated but this can not be called discriminated rather it may say neglected which is obviously happning with the majority too. though the govt is wiiling to establllish this comission but it must have given ample power to superced the decesion of high court lest this commission is meaningless.

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Petrus - Mumbai
Who discriminates minorities? Obviously a majority. Which majority? Hindus? In that case, the logical conclusion is that Hinduism (Hindus) discriminates Islam (Muslims). Is this how the way the state wants to interact with people? That you are Muslim, so you`re a minority and will get protection, and you sir, you`re a Hindu, so you`re the majority, therefore you discriminate. Its pathetic how India has become the victim of appeasement politics.