The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the Vaniyambadi Municipal Commissioner Cecil Thomas’s action of throwing fruits from the carts of vendors, while implementing the COVID-19 lockdown, and has sought a report into the incident.
SHRC acting chairperson D. Jayachandran and member A.C. Mohandoss sought a report into the incident from the Commissioner of Municipal Administration and Commissioner of Vaniyambadi Municipality within two weeks.
The SHRC said a TV media report showed the official throwing fruits on the road and turning the carts upside down, causing damage to the properties of the vendors. “This shows the Commissioner’s high handedness towards the fruits vendors and violated the human rights of the fruits vendors,” it said.
The Commission observed that if street vendors or fruit vendors violated the rules and regulations laid down during the lockdown period, “the Commissioner, Vaniyambadi Municipality should take action against them in accordance with law. But in this incident, the respondent/Commissioner had exceeded his powers and has taken the law into his hand, which resulted vandalism.”
The SHRC further sought to know whether his actions would not amount to violation of human rights and why action should not be taken against him on this.
