OHRC gets chairperson after seven years

Bhubaneswar: After a delay of almost seven years, Justice BP Das was on Thursday was appointed chairperson of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) while advocate Asim Amitabh Das has been named as a member of the rights panel. Both the appointments were approved by Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal.

It is pertinent to mention that ORHC was functioning without a full-time chairperson for over six years. Justice Raghubir Dash was officiating as the acting chairman since May 16, 2019.

“Even during my stint as a judge, there was no backlog. I am not aware of the exact backlog of cases at OHRC but will try to give justice to everyone. OHRC is an important institution and if we take human rights in a broader aspect, then we can provide justice to people,” said Das in an exclusive interview to OTV.

Das said his priorities would be on health, education and protecting the rights of children so that they are not subjected to any abuse.

Justice BP Das earlier headed the one man judicial commission appointed by Odisha government to suggest reforms in the management of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri. Based on the recommendations, the State government recently undertook a massive eviction drive to evict unauthorized structures up to 75 meters from the boundary wall of Puri Srimandir.