A team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited Chopra in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on July 4 and met the woman survivor of the recent flogging incident.
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The four-member NHRC team led by a senior officer visited the area for a spot enquiry, an NHRC official said. It also met senior police officials.
A one-minute video of the incident shows a couple being beaten mercilessly in front of a crowd of villagers. The prime accused in the case, Tajimul Islam, alias JCB, was arrested by the police on June 30, hours after the video went viral. The accused is considered close to the Trinamool Congress.
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After the incident came to light, the NHRC on July 1 issued a press statement, stating that the agency takes “suo motu cognisance of the reported beating of a couple in full public view by a group of people allegedly associated with a political party in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal”.
The NHRC had also issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police, West Bengal, calling for a detailed report in the matter within one week.
The NHRC team is the first quasi-judicial body to visit the village where the couple was beaten up. Earlier, the woman had refused to meet Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, and he had to return.
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Police protection
No member from the Opposition or the ruling party has visited the village. The district police administration has provided security to the woman.
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The flogging episode sent shockwaves not only in West Bengal but across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, made a reference to the incident while targeting Opposition parties on the issue of women safety.
The Islampur Police on Wednesday arrested another accused in connection with the incident.