Surrogacy: NHRC questions Telangana Police over harassment of women

New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) Taking note of media reports, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has questioned Telangana Police over the allegations of harassment of women under the garb of promoting surrogacy facilities.

The NHRC said in a notice that it would like to know from the police authorities if there were any complaints from the people regarding harassment of women in the name of surrogacy in the state.

The notice was issued by the NHRC while it took suo motu cognisance of a media report about a married woman committing suicide alleging sexual harassment by a man in the Raidurgam area of Hyderabad in Telangana on November 27.

The 25-year-old victim from Odisha was purportedly brought to the city through middlemen for surrogacy under a deal of Rs 10 lakh with her husband.

She was made to stay in a separate flat alone away from her husband in the city.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victim woman.

It has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Telangana calling for a detailed report including the status of the FIR registered in the matter in two weeks.

The Commission said in the notice that it would also like to know from the police authorities if there were any complaints from other people regarding harassment of women in the name of surrogacy in the state.

According to the media report, carried on November 28, the victim woman from Odisha committed suicide allegedly to escape sexual harassment. The husband of the victim stayed nearby at a different accommodation along with their four-year-old son.

Reportedly, the woman had called up her husband over the phone on November 26 stating that she did not want to stay there and would end her life as the man was subjecting her to sexual harassment.

--IANS

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