Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with the highest number of cases of human rights violation in the country, Justice D. Murugesan, member of National Human Rights Commission and an honourable Supreme Court Judge, said in Coimbatore on Saturday.

Talking to the reporters at the Coimbatore airport the judge said that Bihar and Odissa record the highest numbers of violation cases, next to Uttar Pradesh.

He said that Tamil Nadu fares much better when it comes to human rights. “The incidents of sexual harassment are highest in Delhi, followed by Bengaluru. A woman was raped in Bengaluru last week, and the Human Rights Commission has voluntarily registered a case in this regard for investigation,” he said.

He advised the state governments to create awareness on the issue and submit reports to the commission in order to curb further violations. “The commission is taking up about one lakh cases each year and nearly 85 percent of the cases are closed as soon as possible. The remaining cases are delayed because of legal hurdles,” he added.

Talking about the human rights violation in Sri Lanka, he stated that the commission cannot interfere in the issues of another country. But he said that the refugees from the island nation are given adequate protection by the governments here.

“We have recently rehabilitated a group of refugees in Kelampakkam and they are currently being supported by the state government. The commission will also regularly monitor them,” he said.

In order to spread awareness about child abuse, Justice Murugesan said that the state government should educate children on this issue at school level. “Subjects should also be introduced about child abuse,” he added.