The National Human Rights Commission has sought a report from Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda over allegations that a young man, his father and a friend were paraded naked in Behala, with the commission questioning the role of the police in the incident.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, the NHRC has asked the commissioner to explain what happened, why the accused were allegedly made to walk with ropes tied around their waists and whether police personnel violated their human rights. The report has been sought within two weeks.
The incident reportedly began on the evening of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja last Sunday near a canal at Khudiram Palli in Sarsuna. The young man, his father and his friend were allegedly stripped and paraded through neighbourhood roads after an accusation involving the kissing of a minor. The allegations have triggered questions about the use of public humiliation and the role of local authorities in protecting the accused and complainants during a neighbourhood dispute.
The NHRC’s intervention follows allegations that the three men were also made to walk with ropes tied around their waists by police. The commission has reportedly questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident and sought details from the Kolkata Police Commissioner before deciding on further action.
The supplied report describes how residents and bystanders allegedly watched and recorded the procession without intervening. Motorcycle mechanic Sujoy Haldar reportedly saw the two younger men being taken towards the area between Khudiram Palli and Sabuj Park. He brought them into his garage, gave them clothes along with other mechanics and later helped bring the older man inside as well.
Haldar also reportedly asked those recording the incident to bring clothes and mobile phones from the victims’ homes. He later took the three men to the police station, where a written complaint was submitted. The complaint led to the arrest of three people, according to the report.
The account also records conflicting reactions among local residents. Some reportedly said they were afraid of the minor’s influential family and therefore did not protest. Others said they initially believed the person they saw was mentally distressed, before realising that two young men were being made to follow him in a state of undress.
The NHRC’s notice places the incident within a wider institutional question: whether the police response protected due process or became part of the alleged public humiliation. The commission has not, in the supplied material, issued a final finding. The next formal step is the submission of the Kolkata Police Commissioner’s report within two weeks, after which the human rights body may assess the allegations and the police response.
