NHRC seeks report from Kolkata Police on harassment of activists

The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) has served a notice to Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal seeking an explanatory report on two cases of harassment and arrests of human rights activists in Kolkata last year.

To recall, there are allegations against Kolkata Police of harassments and arrests of certain human rights activists at Amherst Street in north Kolkata on September 29 and October 13 while the latter were organising peaceful protest demonstrations there.

The matter was reported to NHRC at that point of time only and the latter immediately sought an explanatory report from the city police in the matter. However, since the explanatory report was not forwarded to NHRC even in the new year, the latter has sent a notice to city police commissioner on Wednesday asking him to forward the report to the commission within the next four weeks.

In the fresh notice, NHRC authorities have sought explanations on why there was a delay in sending the report.

However, till the report was filed there was no reaction from Kolkata Police on this count.

According to social observers, the development has proved that West Bengal has come under the scanner of the NHRC authorities. Recently, the NHRC has summoned the state director general of police Manoj Malviya to the commission's head-office in New Delhi to seek explanations on action taken by police on the alleged attack on the All-India Secular Front (AISF) activists at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal immediately after the 2021 state assembly elections.

Informing the matter to NHRC, the AISF alleged police disinclination in acting against the offenders as the latter were associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress. Malviya is supposed to appear at NHRC's Delhi office on February 27.