CHENNAI: Human rights organisations, activists and politicians demanded that the Centre cancel the appointment of former Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Kumar Mishra as the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). They termed the appointment as a “brazen and deliberate blow” to the Constitution by the Union government. “The decision made by the Narendra Modi-led government smacks of brazen arrogance and indifference to public opinion and once against highlights the cynical disdain of the government for democratic norms and constitutional proprieties,” according to a joint statement signed by 68 human rights activists, lawyers, writers and journalists across the country. The activists who issued the statement include retired IAS officer M G Devasahayam, People's Union for Civil Liberties general secretary Dr V Suresh and Henri Tiphagne of People’s Watch.