The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Union Home Secretary, returnable in four weeks, seeking a report on the stripping and merciless thrashing of a youth by the jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) in the Charmurasi border outpost near the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Mushirabad district of West Bengal recently.
The Commission was acting suo motu, based on the media reports, and observed that if the reports were true then it raised a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim.
The video, telecast by a local TV channel, showed that the youth, allegedly a cattle rustler from Bangladesh, was tied to a bamboo staff and assaulted by four BSF personnel with lathis. The video showed him writhing in pain on the ground as the jawans beat him mercilessly.
Following the incident the BSF authorities suspended eight of its personnel.