Submit report, NHRC tells Kolkata Police chief

“The Commission observes that in the instant case, despite direction, the aforesaid authority has not submitted any report till date. The Commission directs its registry to retransmit the copy of the complaint and the last direction dated 31.10.2022 of the Commission to the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, West Bengal for the submission of the requisite report within four weeks failing which the Commission shall be constrained to invoke its coercive power u/s 13 of the PHR Act,1993, calling for the personal appearance of the authority concerned before the Commission,” reads the letter.

The letter was also forwarded to state Director General of Police Manoj Malviya for ensuring compliance with the direction of the Commission by aforesaid authority.

It may be noted that the Kolkata Police was accused of harassment and arrests of local human rights activists
at Amherst Street in north Kolkata on September 29 and October 13 when they were organising peaceful protest demonstrations.

The NHRC had immediately sought an explanatory report from the city police into the matter. As the explanatory report was not forwarded to the NHRC, the Commission sent a notice to the police commissioner on Tuesday, directing him to forward the report to the commission within the next four weeks. In the letter, the NHRC authorities sought explanations on delay in sending the report.

The Kolkata Police had not reacted to the notice till the time this report was filed.

The NHRC recently summoned Malviya to its head office in New Delhi, seeking explanations on action taken by police on the alleged attack on All-India Secular Front (AISF) members at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district immediately after the 2021 Assembly elections.

Malviya is supposed to appear before the NHRC at its Delhi office on February 27.