Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], November 28 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to top officials of the Madhya Pradesh government, the state police, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) after taking cognisance of a complaint alleging severe human rights violations at VIT University, located in Sehore district.
The notice, dated November 27, has been sent to the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department, the Principal Secretary of the Food Supplies Department, the Commissioner of Police, Bhopal, and the Chairman of the UGC. All have been directed to inquire into the allegations made in the complaint and to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two weeks.
The notice states that a complainant, a resident of Bhopal, alleged that a large number of students at VIT University contracted jaundice due to unhygienic food, unsafe drinking water, and poor sanitation. The complaint further claimed that inadequate administrative responses and a lack of transparency allegedly led to unrest among students.
The complainant also alleged possible concealment of health information. The complainant sought the NHRC's intervention in the matter and requested an urgent independent inquiry, health audits, corrective measures, and protection for students who raised concerns.
The NHRC noted that the allegations in the complaint prima facie indicate violations of the victims' human rights. The Bench of the Commission, presided by Priyank Kanoongo, has taken cognisance under section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, into the matter and directed to issue of notices to the concerned authorities to inquire into the allegations. Additionally, the commission sought an Action Taken Report within two weeks of the date of receipt of the letter.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also took cognisance of the matter on Thursday and directed Sehore district's in-charge minister to visit the campus, interact with students, management and ensure necessary steps are taken.
"Taking cognisance of the VIT University incident, I directed the Minister in Charge of Sehore District, Krishna Gaur, to immediately visit the campus, interact with the students and management, and ensure necessary actions are taken. To prevent recurrence of such incidents, I also directed the Higher Education Minister, Inder Singh Parmar, to conduct a high-level review of private universities and educational institutions, identify student-related issues, and ensure their prompt resolution," said CM Yadav in a post on X.
He further added that district administration officials were also directed to take note of the problems related to students' food and water and resolve them promptly. The welfare of students and a quality education system are the state's top priorities.