GUWAHATI, Feb 6 ? The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has sought detailed reports from the Commissioner of Excise, Assam and the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup on the sale of gutkha in the city.
A Division Bench of the Commission today passed the order after perusing the petition of Boloram Sarkar, Secretary of the Greater Guwahati Pan Shop Business Association. Sarkar had pleaded that due to the sale of gutkha in the market, the health of the people, especially the children, is at risk. It may be mentioned here that the Pan Shop business Association has, sometime ago, appealed to its members to desist from selling gutkha. Gutkha addiction is known to cause cancer and several other complications.
Meanwhile, the AHRC, in a separate order recently, has called for a report from the Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital as to how many reports of medico-legal cases are pending in the institution for submission of reports to police stations in the city.
The Commission, in the same order, has directed the Director of Health Services, Assam, to submit a similar report and also to instruct all the Civil Hospitals and Public Health Centres (PHCs) under him to promptly submit post mortuam?injury reports and such other reports of medico-legal cases which were referred to them by various police stations in the interest of prompt investigation of criminal cases. The AHRC?s order following a petition submitted by one Tapan Deka of Mangaldoi district who alleged that in a large number of cases, the doctors of the GMCH did not submit the injury and other reports of the persons who were examined by the doctors on reference by the police in connection with criminal cases. For want of such reprots, investigation by the police are hampered, he stated.