Acting on a complaint that women activists were "attacked" by police during a march to State Secretariat on August 27, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Government of West Bengal and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, seeking the State's response.
The complainants, which included representatives of All India Democratic Women’s Organisation (AIDWA), National Federation of Women in India (NFWI) and Janwadi Mahila Samity (JMS), alleged that women protestors were subjected to lathicharge, brick batting, tear gassing and water cannons by male police personnel.
After going through contents of the complaints the NHRC has observed that complaint, if true, "raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the women protestors".
“Further, if the women protesters were attacked by the police force while protesting peacefully, it amounts to violation of their Fundamental Right to assemble peaceably and without arms as guaranteed under Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution of India,” the Commission stated.
On August 27, a protest was called by Left-backed farmers organisation on the agrarian distress in the State and other issues. The protests, which included a march to Nabanna Building, was backed by 17 Left parties. The complaint, which was received by the Commission on September 2, mentions that some of the women protestors were severely injured and one of them was in ICU.
The NHRC has given the West Bengal government two-week time to respond to the notice.
