New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee received criticism for the post poll violence in West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress dispensation in West Bengal has been left red-faced by the Calcutta High Court order of July 2, Friday, on post-poll violence and a senior police officer in Kolkata would also be served with a notice for violation of the court order of June 18.
“From a perusal of the report prima facie stand taken by the petitioners is established that there had been post poll violence and the state was found on a wrong foot, where throughout it was on a denial mode,” said the five-member bench.
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh welcomed the court directives and said the state and its authorities will now have to take care of those who have been rendered homeless. All complaints made with the police must be recorded, he said.
The court further said – “Let a notice be issued to Rashid Munir Khan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Suburban
Division, Kolkata to show cause as to why proceedings for contempt be not initiated against him for violation of the order passed by this court on June 18, 2021.”
A five-judge Bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justices IP Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen, and Subrata Talukdar passed the order.
On June 18, the High Court had directed the State to ensure that there is “no obstruction” of any kind in the investigation process (by NHRC team) and that any obstruction shall be viewed seriously, sources said.
A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) asked to probe post-poll violence in West Bengal was attacked when it went to Jadavpur area, a known Trinamool Congress bastion, in Kolkata.
The team, led by NHRC member and National Commission For Minorities Vice-Chairman Atif Rasheed, had gone to Jadavpur (29 June) to probe violence against BJP supporters and their houses had been looted and ransacked. They were heckled allegedly by Trinamool workers and supporters.
The incident took place in the Dompara area where people who burn corpses at crematoriums or work in morgues reside.
The court took cognizance of the NHRC interim report and at one point it was even stated: “The BJP supporters were brutally assaulted sexually”.
Trinamool MP, Saugata Roy said he, ‘did not agree’ with the High Court order and even insisted that the NHRC had no say in matters of violence committed in a state, that right should be with the respective State Human Rights Commission.
The court further has said that the chief secretary of West Bengal has to be directed to preserve all documents related to post-poll violence.
A second autopsy of BJP leader Abhijit Sarkar also has been ordered and that will be conducted at Command Hospital Kolkata.
The NHRC panel is led by Rajiv Jain, the former Intelligence Bureau chief who assumed charge as an NHRC member last month.
The other constituents are National Commission for Women member Rajulben L, Desai, NHRC’s (director) investigation Santosh Mehra and deputy inspector general (investigation) Manzil Saini, West Bengal Human Rights Commission registrar Pradip Kumar Panja and West Bengal State Legal Services Authority member secretary Raju Mukherjee.
The panel members in two teams have been visiting violence-hit north and south Bengal districts.
Contempt charge against Derek-O-Brien
A Kolkata based lawyer has written a letter to West Bengal Advocate General Kishore Datta seeking his consent to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Trinamool floor leader in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’ Brien.
The Trinamool leader had posted tweets against Justice Kausik Chanda of the Calcutta High Court.
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