File photo of police beating up students during a demonstration against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Imphal last year

Guwahati, Oct. 18: Ravaged by a million mutinies and pinned down by harsh military laws, the Northeast is the perfect case study of human rights violations ? sometimes real, sometimes imagined.

Appropriately, Gauhati University is set to become the first in the country to introduce a post-graduate diploma course in human rights and conflict resolution. Gauhati University vice-chancellor G.N. Talukdar described the course, to be launched next month, as one that has ?great relevance to the present situation in the region?.

Sponsored by the University Grants Commission, the diploma course will be conducted by the department of political science.

Talukdar said the course would give students a ?far better understanding? of issues pertaining to human rights. ?It is also a matter of pride for us to be the first Indian university to introduce such a course.?

Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi has one paper on the subject for students of political science.

Nani Gopal Mahanta, the co-ordinator of the diploma course, said the curriculum had been designed to give students an insight into the causes of violent conflicts at the local, regional and international levels and equip them with the skills necessary to make a difference.

?We believe that educating people to peacefully resolve conflicts is an urgent necessity. The problems of insurgency, human rights violations, military confrontations and humanitarian crises are such that we need more effective strategies to deal with these,? he said.

The department of political science intends to start with 25 seats. A graduation degree from any recognised university is the minimum requirement for admission.

Apart from guest lecturers, teachers from the departments of law, English, history, anthropology and psychology will be requisitioned for the course. Classes will be held in the evening.

Sources said the university would offer some of the seats to officials of enforcement agencies.

The Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, one of Assam?s major NGOs, said the decision to introduce such a course had been taken not a day too soon. ?Violation of human rights is one of the biggest challenges faced by civil society. We hope this step by Gauhati University will raise awareness about human rights,? the organisation?s chief adviser, Lachit Bordoloi, said.