NHRC moved over hostage issue

Even as most of the tourists who were held hostage in Lakshadweep reached their homes, Ahmedabad-based human right activist Sanjay Joshi has moved the National Human Right Commission seeking action against violation of basic rights of victims.

Joshi told DNA that he had managed to get details of tourists stuck on the island on Saturday when the incident took place. Following a brief conversation with tourists, Joshi registered a complaint with NHRC via phone.

Joshi added that it was late in the evening when he got to know about the incident. “I contacted the NHRC for immediate action. However, there was not much response. In the meantime, I managed to reach out to government officials,” he said.

He further stated that the commission is yet to take action on the complaint. “Following the telephonic conversation on Saturday night, I also forwarded a written complaint to the commission demanding action against the violation of human rights and harassment of tourists. I had requested for a detailed investigation into the matter,” Joshi further added. A group of 130 tourists were held hostage on Kalpeni island of Lakshadweep on Saturday. Forty of the 130 tourists were from Gujarat.