NHRC seeks report from Bengal govt over action taken on recommendations in Sandeshkhali issue

The Commission has sent its spot enquiry report to the Chief Secretary and DGP, West Bengal for submitting an Action Taken Report within eight weeks on each of the recommendations made therein

PGurus Newsdesk

April 13, 2024

The Commission has sent its spot enquiry report to the Chief Secretary and DGP, West Bengal for submitting an Action Taken Report within eight weeks on each of the recommendations made therein

NHRC flags human rights violations in Sandeshkhali

On Saturday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought a report from the Bengal government on action taken on 12 recommendations made by the rights body over complaints of illegal land grabbing, extortion, and incidents of sexual harassment of women at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district.

The 12 recommendations of the NHRC include ensuring witness, protection, counselling, and rehabilitation of victims of sexual offences, return of the land to the legitimate owners, the revival of that land to make it suitable for agriculture, operationalization of the Nationwide Emergency Response System, and investigation of cases of missing women/ girls from the area.

The NHRC in a statement stated that the commission’s spot enquiry report has flagged several human rights concerns in Sandeshkhali.

“The NHRC has sent its spot enquiry report to the Chief Secretary and DGP, West Bengal to submit an action taken report within eight weeks on each of the recommendations made therein. The Commission has also directed to upload the spot enquiry report on its website for wider dissemination of information,” the NHRC statement read.

In its statement, the NHRC also observed that the atmosphere due to the atrocities by the alleged accused persons rendered the victims silent.

“The villagers/ victims faced assault, threats, sexual exploitation, land grabbing, and forced unpaid labour, and under the given circumstances they were compelled to seek livelihood outside the Sandeshkhali region/ state,” the NHRC statement read.

The commission is also of the opinion that this “climate of terror” not only perpetuates the cycle of abuse but also underscores the urgent need to create a safe and supportive environment for victims to break free from the shackles of silence.

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