The National Human Rights Commission has sought a report from Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda over the Behala incident in which a young man, his father and a friend were allegedly paraded naked through a neighbourhood, followed by the alleged use of ropes to walk them while in police custody or police presence. The commission has questioned whether the treatment amounted to a violation of human rights and asked the commissioner to respond within two weeks.
The incident reportedly began on the evening of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja last Sunday near a canal-side area in Khudiram Palli, Sarsuna. The young man, his father and his friend were allegedly forced to walk through local roads after the young man was accused of kissing a minor. The report did not establish the circumstances of the alleged accusation or whether the allegation was formally investigated before the public humiliation took place.
The NHRC has sought details of what happened that day and why the three men were allegedly made to walk with ropes tied around their waists. Its intervention places the conduct of both local residents and the police under scrutiny. The commission has specifically sought information from the Kolkata Police Commissioner on the alleged human rights violations and the actions taken by the authorities.
According to the report, three people were arrested after a written complaint was filed. The complaint was taken to the police station by motorcycle mechanic Sujoy Haldar, who said he saw the three men being taken towards the Sabuj Park area. Haldar reportedly noticed the young man’s father walking quickly past his garage, followed by the other two men, while people recorded the scene on their phones.
Haldar told the publication that one person accompanying the group described the procession as a “fun rally” while filming it. He and other workers at the garage then brought the young man and his friend inside and gave them clothes. The father, who was still walking naked beside the canal, was also brought into the garage after Haldar and his colleagues called out to him. The report said the workers later pressured those recording the incident to retrieve the men’s clothes and mobile phones from their homes.
The account also highlights how the alleged public humiliation continued while bystanders watched and recorded the incident. The report quoted Haldar as saying that several people appeared shocked but did not intervene. Some local residents reportedly said they had been afraid of the minor’s influential family, while others said they initially believed one of the men was mentally distressed and only understood what was happening when they saw the other two being taken along in a similar condition.
The police response is now a central part of the inquiry. The report alleges that the three men were also made to walk with ropes tied around their waists by police, raising questions about the treatment of suspects, the limits of police authority and the safeguards available to people accused in neighbourhood disputes. The supplied report does not provide the police commissioner’s response or the contents of the complaint registered against the arrested individuals.
The NHRC’s requested report is expected to clarify the sequence of events, the role of the police, the legal basis for the treatment of the three men and the action taken against those allegedly responsible. The Kolkata Police Commissioner has been given two weeks to submit the report to the commission.
