NHRC decides to send its own team headed by DIG (Investigation) to conduct an on the spot enquiry into death of two school students and severe injury to many others in police action in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal (03.10.2018)

PRESS RELEASE

New Delhi, 3rd October, 2018

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has decided to send its own team headed by DIG (Investigation) to conduct an on the spot enquiry into the allegations of the death of two school students and grievous injury to several others in lathi charge, rubber bullets, tear gas shells and gun shots fired by the police personnel in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal on the 20th September, 2018. The Commission has received three complaints in the matter. It has directed that the enquiry be completed at the earliest to submit a report within two weeks.

The 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.

Allegedly, the incident was triggered with the force 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. As mentioned in the communication, the said teacher joined the duty with the help of police force and a large number of his supporters. 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 Head Master, Assistant Head Master, District Inspector, Secondary Education School and Block Development Officer along with students and their guardians, on 18.09.2018 even then, the Urdu teacher is being appointed, forcefully. 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 unruly crowd from Golapara, against the students. It is mentioned that it became a riot like situation and even body of the deceased student was inhumanly thrashed by the mob. 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 postmortem and an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

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