The National Human Rights Commission, in its report, also observed that the "pervasive fear of reprisal, coupled with the power dynamics at play, acted as a formidable barrier", preventing individuals from voicing their grievances.
The West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Friday summoned five police officers in connection with the mysterious death of computer graphics designer Rizwan-ur Rehman. The Commission, however, did not ask Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee to appear before it. The body of Rizwanur, who had married Priyanka against the wishes of her industrialist father Ashok Todi, was found on the railway tracks in Dum Dum on September 21.
The West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Friday took cognisance of obscene comments made by the Communist Party of India-Marxist MLA Anisur Rahman against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and directed the Director General of Police to file a report within three weeks.
The West Bengal Human Rights Commission has directed the home, health and police departments to inquire into the alleged 'inhuman torture' on Asiad gold medalist Pinki Pramanik in police and jail custody and submit a report within two weeks.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims a Bengali-speaking woman and her child were threatened in Delhi after an alleged assault. She urges Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states to return to Bengal if harassed and questions the absence of central commissions in BJP-ruled states when atrocities occur.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of spreading communal hatred and failing to protect the country's border. She alleged that families affected by recent violence in Murshidabad were being prevented by the saffron camp from meeting her. Banerjee also criticized the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for its visit to Murshidabad and questioned its priorities, asking whether NHRC members visited BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
The National Human Rights Commission in a statement said the allegations raise a serious issue of violation of human rights and also restriction on the freedom of the press.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announces legal action against the Election Commission's electoral roll revision, alleging disenfranchisement and procedural flaws.
A series of deaths and health-related incidents involving staff deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in multiple states has triggered alarm, even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission, calling the ongoing exercise 'chaotic, coercive and dangerous'.
A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairman Vijaya Rahatkar, met with riot-affected women in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, assuring them of safety and demanding an NIA probe into the recent communal clashes. The women narrated their harrowing experiences and demanded permanent BSF camps in select areas of the district. The NCW team also visited relief camps in Malda district and assessed the condition of women affected by the violence.
The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the West Bengal government and the state's police chief over reports alleging 'unabated human rights violations' due to continued violence in restive Sandeshkhali, officials said on Wednesday.
'Human rights violations are there in rural areas and in cities. In rural areas it is crude and in the open. In urban areas it is well hidden.' 'Awareness has grown several fold. India has 160 national and state human rights institutions. No other country in the world has this.' 'Unfortunately the right to association, right to assembly, freedom of expression, right to protest and discuss are all being curtailed systematically one by one.'
A delegation from the National Commission for Women (NCW) visited a relief camp in Malda, West Bengal, and reported that women were being harassed and threatened by police. The NCW team, led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, met with those displaced by riots in Murshidabad and alleged that the women were being coerced to return home without proper safety measures. The team is scheduled to travel to Murshidabad and Kolkata to continue their investigation.
The Calcutta High Court has ordered the formation of a three-member committee to identify and rehabilitate people displaced by violence during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad district. The court also extended the deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in the area. The committee will consist of officials from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), and the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA). It will be responsible for identifying displaced persons, assessing damage to properties, collecting FIR data, facilitating FIR filing, and overseeing the well-being of displaced individuals. The state government has been instructed to provide necessary infrastructure to the committee and report on its progress by May 15. The court also directed the state to formulate a rehabilitation scheme for displaced persons, including the construction of damaged houses and shops, compensation for lost livelihoods, and protection for families of those who died in the violence.
The West Bengal government has assured the Calcutta High Court that the law and order situation in violence-hit Murshidabad district is under control. The court was hearing a petition by the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, who alleged bomb blasts during communal riots and sought an NIA investigation. The state government claims adequate steps have been taken to quell the violence, while the Centre has requested an extension of CAPF deployment in the district. The violence erupted during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad, displacing several families. The state government has reported that some families have returned to their homes.
Finding fault with the way a professor and his neighbour were arrested for posting online a cartoon allegedly derogatory to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Monday asked the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the two persons.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of 'linguistic terror' and plotting to delete Bengali voters from electoral rolls, vowing to protect voting rights.
Justice Gavai's comment came while the apex court bench, also comprising Justice Augustine George Masih, was considering a fresh plea seeking an inquiry into the recent violence in West Bengal during anti-Waqf law protests.
NCST acting vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak said they have also received complaints against a politician, which they would include in their report to the President, the official added.
West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar on Thursday said that police will listen to the complaints of every individual in Sandeshkhali and strict action will be taken against those found guilty.
The committee, which was formed by the National Human Rights Commission chairman on a direction by a five-judge bench of the high court, also said that these cases should be tried outside the state.
Questioning the team's authority headed by a former Patna high court judge, Banerjee pointed out that Ram Navami processions organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party had carried arms and driven tractors and deliberately taken routes where 'Namaz' was being offered.
Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Ganguly, accused of sexually harassing a law intern, on Tuesday hit out at the media for repeatedly asking whether he would resign as the chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission.
The government is likely to send a Presidential reference to Supreme Court for conducting a probe into the allegation of sexual harassment against Justice (retd) A K Ganguly after Attorney General has endorsed it.
The government is likely to send this week a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court for conducting a probe into the allegation of sexual harassment against Justice (retd) A K Ganguly after the attorney general has endorsed it.
A Jadavpur University professor awarded compensation of Rs 50,000 by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission for being arrested after he emailed a cartoon allegedly derogatory to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday said such spoofs could not be stopped by laws.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
The government on Thursday approved a proposal for sending a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court for conducting a probe into an allegation of sexual harassment against retired apex court judge A K Ganguly.
The CBI has carried out searches at 15 locations in connection with the case related to attempt to murder of Dharma Mandal who suffered serious injuries after his family was attacked on May 14 night at their home in Nadia district's Chapra.
Priyanka said though she had been summoned by the police after her marriage to Rizwan on August 18, 'no police officer had ill-treated her,' a member of the Women's Commission said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
All the four special units of the investigating agency tasked to probe the cases of violence have moved their units from Kolkata to crime scenes across the state, sources said.
A new report, "India Justice Report 2025", highlights the stark gender disparity in India's police force, with less than 1,000 women holding senior positions like Director-Generals and Superintendents of Police. Despite growing awareness about the need for gender diversity in law enforcement, not a single state or Union Territory has met its target for women's representation in the police force. The report also emphasizes the significant challenges faced by the justice system as a whole, including infrastructural deficiencies, overcrowding in prisons, and inadequate staffing levels. The report calls for systemic reforms to address these issues and ensure a more equitable and accessible justice system for all.
The Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the Enforcement Directorate summoning advocates for offering legal advice or representing clients during investigations, calling for guidelines on the matter.
Government on Thursday appeared to be moving towards making a presidential reference for removal of Justice A K Ganguly as head of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission in the wake of his indictment by a Supreme Court committee for "unwelcome behaviour" towards a law intern.
Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said he was waiting to see when Supreme Court "rises to the occasion" to deal with the issue of Justice A K Ganguly even as pressure mounts on the former Supreme Court judge, indicted in a sexual harassment case, to step down as head of West Bengal human rights panel.
As pressure mounted on him to resign in the wake sexually harassment charges, chief of West Bengal Human Rights Commission Justice AK Ganguly has sought four weeks' time to respond to National Commission for Women which had asked him to explain his position.
The Kerala police were the most sensitised to the rights of those arrested while that of Jharkhand and Gujarat the least.
Notwithstanding the growing clamour for his resignation as chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, former Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Ganguly on Tuesday ruled it out.
A day after an angry West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee screamed at her security guards in full public view saying they 'should be whipped' for making her wait for her car, a complaint was on Thursday filed against her in the state human rights commission.
Observing that the Bengal governments progress in matters related to post-poll violence did not inspire confidence, the Calcutta high court on Monday dismissed the dispensation's prayer for recall of an order that directed the NHRC chairperson to form a committee to examine cases of alleged human rights violations.
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