Rights commission orders probe

The West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the incident at Mangalkot.

Justice Narayan Chandra Sil,a former judge and acting chairman of the state Human Rights Commission,said K P P Rao,Additional Director General of the Commission,was asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident and file a report within two weeks. Justice Sil said the WBHRC decided to conduct a suo-motu inquiry because the people’s representatives were allegedly attacked in front of police officers. The panel also instructed Rao to contact state Chief Secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti and Director General of Police,West Bengal,Bhupindar Singh and seek their cooperation in conducting the inquiry.

Eight party MLAs,led by Congress Legislative Party leader Manas Bhuniya,were attacked by a mob at Mangalkot when they entered the village to distribute relief materials among party supporters who had been rendered homeless for more than a month. The Congress team had earlier informed the home secretary and the DGP,West Bengal about their visit to Mangalkot. Bhuniya alleged that the CPM and the police had hatched a conspiracy to kill them and as a result the police did not intervene when they were under attack. ENS