KOLKATA: The National Human Rights Commission (
NHRC) on Friday took suo motu cognizance of the of the media reports pertaining to the death of the Purulia
BJP worker Trilochan Mahato and issued a notice to chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee.
It has also asked the newly-appointed DGP Virendra to send a status report of the investigation into the incident in which a 20-year-old Dalit youth was allegedly murdered.
In a notice to Banerjee, the commission has stated that the media reports have pointed out at gross violation of human rights. “The right to life of the Dalit victim has been grossly violated,” NHRC said in a press note.
While it has sought a detailed report from the chief secretary, the commission has asked the DGP to intimate about the “present status” of the case and “steps taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future”.
The commission observed that bloodshed in the name of political difference is neither desirable nor acceptable.
A BJP team led by Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy had on Thursday met the NHRC chairperson justice H L Dattu to apprise him of the poll-related violence and post poll scenario in the state.
Roy on the other hand, on Friday, sent a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh alleging that number of poll related deaths has crossed 63 in the state. Alleging a decadent law and order situation in the state, Roy has sought the Centre’s intervention.
BJP’s district president Bidyasagar Chakraborty has also sent a letter to Purulia SP Joy Biswas alleging a strong-arm tactic by the ruling Trinamool Congress workers.
Meanwhile, the BJP leaders on Friday took to streets against the alleged violence in the state. Agitations were organised in at least 22 places in Kolkata apart from more than 100 locations across the state.
A team of BJP workers staged a protest demonstration in front of Banga Bhavan in New Delhi.
“So far a total of 24 BJP workers have been killed in poll-related violence. Our party workers are being slapped with false cases,” said BJP state secretary Sayantan Basu.
BJP workers stage protest in Delhi over murder of a party supporters in West Bengal's Purulia.