Each village in Maharashtra will have a committee to promote awareness about human rights and prevent their violations if a proposal mooted by a prominent social activist and supported by the head of the apex body of sarpanches gets the backing of gram sabhas.

The proposal to establish a village-level Gramin Manav Adhikar Sanrakshan Samiti (Village Human Rights Protection Committee), envisaging a prominent role for local women and female cops, has been mooted by activist Pramod Zinjade, who heads an outfit focused on community development and social justice.

Talking to PTI, Zinjade, president of the Mahatma Phule Samaj Seva Mandal, said that the committee will operate within the jurisdiction of a village and its outskirts, and will include the village sarpanch or a local woman as chairperson, gram sevak or police patil as secretary, along with a female police representative.
Police patils, appointed by the state government, act as a crucial link between police and people at the village level. They assist in police investigations and reporting of incidents within their designated village.