West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday flayed the NHRC for "disrespecting the court" and pursuing "political vendetta" of the BJP by leaking its report on alleged post-poll violence to the media. Banerjee also expressed surprise over the conclusion that the National Human Rights Commission arrived at in its report without taking into account views of the state government.
"The BJP is now using impartial agencies to settle political scores and malign our state. The NHRC should have respected the court. Instead of leaking the findings to the media, it should have first submitted the same to the court. "What would you call it other than political vendetta of the BJP? It is yet to digest defeat (in the assembly polls) and that is why the party is resorting to such tricks," she told a press conference here.
Asserting that the situation in West Bengal is a "manifestation of law of ruler instead of rule of law", an NHRC committee probing alleged incidents of post-poll violence in the state, in a report placed before the Calcutta High Court, recommended a CBI probe into "grievous offences like murder and rape". On her visit to Delhi next week, Banerjee said she would like to meet the Prime Minister and the President if she "gets an appointment".
"Every time after elections, I visit Delhi to meet old and new friends. So this time too, I would be going to the National Capital for few a days as the COVID-19 situation is presently under control," the chief minister said.
NHRC Refutes Allegations
Hours after the claims, NHRC said the accusations are “baseless and factually incorrect" as the copy of the report was shared with the advocates of the concerned parties in this matter in accordance with the directions of the Calcutta High Court.
The committee constituted by the NHRC to probe the post-poll violence had submitted its report to the high court on July 13.
“On the further directions of the Hon’ble Court, the Committee provided a copy of the said report to its Advocate in Calcutta, who shared with the Advocates of all the concerned parties in the related multiple writ petitions. The matter being sub -judice, the Committee of the NHRC did not share its report to any entity other than those specified by the Hon’ble Court," the statement said.
The release further said that since the report is already available with all the concerned parties as per the directives of the court, there is no question of leakage at the level of the NHRC.
The attribution regarding the alleged leakage of the said Report to the NHRC is absolutely baseless and factually incorrect, it said.
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