NHRC sends special observer to West Bengal before panchayat polls

KOLKATA: Taking suo-motu cognizance of the violence in West Bengal in the run up to the panchayat polls, the National Human Rights Commission is sending its DG (investigation) as a special human rights observer to conduct an on-spot survey of the state.
The observer will survey the sensitive constituencies where violence is likely to occur during the rural polls.
In a late-night statement, the NHRC on Sunday said that it has asked the chief secretary H K Dwivedi and DGP Manoj Malviya ensure that the law and order is maintained within the state during the entire process of Panchayat polls starting from filing nomination papers till the time the result is declared.
The commission said that it has taken cognizance of a number of incidents including the abduction and murder of Purba Midnapore BJP worker Bijay Krishna Bhuniya, abduction of BJP worker Sanjay Tanti and murder of Rajendra (Raju) Shaw at Asansol.
"There have been many other incidents of violence occurring in the State wherein workers of the contesting parties have clashed with each other," the commission said in the statement.