WB clash case: NHRC to send its own probe team to conduct on-the-spot inquiry

The NHRC will send its own probe team to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the case of death of two school students and severe injuries suffered by many others allegedly during police action in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal, the rights panel said Wednesday.

The National Human Rights Commission has observed that allegations, if true, would amount to the police authorities having acted in a "sheer barbaric manner" giving no respect to the human values.

"This kind of treatment with young students would amount to the ugliest example of cruelty by the police personnel who are expected to protect the citizens but have acted in a highly irresponsible and inhuman manner," it said.

 

The Commission said it has received "three complaints" in connection with the case, and directed that the inquiry be completed at the earliest and a report be submitted within two weeks.

"The NHRC has decided to send its own team headed by DIG (Investigation) to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the allegations of the death of two school students and grievous injury to several others from lathi-charge and rubber bullets, tear gas shells and gunshots fired by police personnel in Uttar Dinajpur district on September 20," the NHRC said in a statement.

The incident, allegedly, was triggered by a forced appointment of an Urdu teacher by the administration at Dharivita High School in the village while the students were demanding appointment of teachers for core subjects, including Bengali, history, mathematics and English, it said.

As mentioned in the communication sent to the NHRC, the teacher joined the duty with the help of the police force and a large number of his supporters, the statement said.

The students raised their protest and mentioned that their demands have already been accepted by the School Management Committee during a meeting held in the presence of the headmaster and others, along with students and their guardians, on September 18, even then, the Urdu teacher was being appointed, forcefully, the NHRC said, based on the complaint received.

The villagers of Daribhit had claimed that the students were hit by bullets fired by the police. However, the police had denied its involvement, even as the district superintendent of police had conceded that the two had died of bullet injuries.

The NHRC in its statement said, "To disburse the students, the police allegedly used excessive force against them which resulted in death of two students and injuries to many".

"It is further mentioned that many of the girl students who were present there, were manhandled and molested by the male police personnel. Not only this, even the locals of the other areas, supportive of the administration, allegedly joined in, including the unruly crowd from Golapara, against the students," the statement said.

It is mentioned that it became a "riot-like situation and even body of the deceased student was inhumanly thrashed by the mob," it said.

The parents have reportedly not yet cremated the bodies of the deceased students rather they have temporarily buried them in the hope of a second post-mortem and an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the statement said.