The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday, 29 October, issued a notice to Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand after taking suo motu cognisance of media reports about a crime-scene reconstruction in the Sarsuna area of south Kolkata, according to an IANS report.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

The reports alleged that police personnel made three arrested suspects walk barefoot in public with ropes tied around their waists during the reconstruction. The commission has sought a detailed report from the police chief within two weeks.

What the Commission Has Asked

In its notice, the NHRC asked the Commissioner to verify the accuracy of the published reports and to specify under which provisions of law the accused were subjected to such treatment while in custody. The commission said that if the allegations against the police officers are substantiated, the conduct would constitute a grave violation of human rights, the IANS report said.

Source: Nation Press

The Earlier Development

The notice follows the development Awaaz Punjab reported on 28 October, when Kolkata Police took the three arrested accused back through the Sarsuna locality to reconstruct the case and the exercise triggered a human-rights row. The underlying case began on Sunday night, 25 October, when two young men and the father of one of them were allegedly detained, assaulted and forced to strip and walk for about 50 metres at gunpoint by members of another family in the neighbourhood, according to police-facing reporting. Sarsuna police later arrested three members of that family.

Source: Maktoob Media

The allegations about both the original parading and the police reconstruction remain allegations at this stage. What happens next depends on the report the Kolkata Police Commissioner files within the two-week deadline; depending on its findings, the commission could recommend disciplinary or further proceedings against the officers involved, according to reports.