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KOLKATA — The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to Kolkata Police seeking an explanation on the alleged police excesses on the protestors participating in the ‘Nabanna Abhijan (march to Bengal secretariat)’ on August 27.
The march had been organised to condemn the rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.
Sources said the NHRC has sought a report from the Kolkata Police within the next 14 days.
Sources added that the commission is of the view that the police action on the protestors participating in Nabanna Abhijan, the call for which was given on social media by a group of students, violated human rights.
Meanwhile, Sayan Lahiri, one of the main people to give a call for the march, who was arrested by the city police after the event, on Friday approached the Calcutta High Court through his counsel seeking immediate release.
In the petition his counsel has accused the city police of arresting his client on false charges.
The petition has been admitted by the Calcutta High Court and the matter might come up for hearing in the second half of Friday.
Pockets of West Bengal and Howrah turned into virtual battlefields on August 27 afternoon following clashes between the cops and the protestors.
The police had to resort to lathi charge, firing of teargas shells and use of water-cannons to disperse the groups of protesters approaching the state secretariat located at Mandirtala in Howrah district from various points.
Several protestors and policemen were injured in the clashes.
A total of 220 arrests were made in this connection in addition to 25 preventive arrests before the march.
The city police said that had these preventive arrests not been made, the situation would have been worse.