NHRC issues notice on renaming Rajasthan village

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to Union Home Secretary in a case regarding renaming of a village in Dausa district of Rajasthan. NHRC spokesperson Jaimini Kumar Srivastava today said the Ministry has been directed to respond within six weeks. The name of 'Kuwan Ka Vas' village in Dausa was changed by a land record keeper in 1987 to 'Chamaron Ka Vas' literally meaning 'residence of the backwards'. The village is inhabited by the Berwa community. ''In a democratic country like India, whose Constitution clearly prohibits any discrimination on the basis of castes and religion, the name of the village Chamaron Ka Vas constitutes a criminal offence,'' Mr Srivastava said.

The Commission's intervention was sought in 2006 and a notice was issued to State Chief Secretary calling for a report within eight weeks. It took about two years for the government to respond and the name 'Kushalpura' was suggested, he said. The Commission asked villagers for their comments and ordered the closure of the case in 2008 when no comments were received. The NHRC was then told by a villager in the same year that the MHA told the Rajasthan government that Kushalpura was not acceptable to the Railway Ministry as there was already a transit railway station 'Kushalpura Halt' which could create confusion. A list of alternate names was forwarded to the MHA by the state government for approval, but there was no response yet. The MHA Joint Secretary informed NHRC earlier this year that the proposal of restoring the name 'Kuwan Ka Vas' was under examination with the Ministry.