NHRC notice to West Bengal, Bihar Governments

New Delhi, Jan 10 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the West Bengal Government, seeking a factual report within four weeks on a news item that a girl was paraded naked in Nadia Village.

The Commission has directed that a copy of the report be sent to the State Chief Secretary.

It said the incident raises a serious issue of violation of human rights of the girl.

The December 25 report said the 19 year-old-girl, who dressed like a boy, rode a cycle and had short hair, was tonsured, stripped and paraded naked.

''She was dragged to the village square and humiliated. Scores of onlookers who were witness to the incident did not come to her aid.

The victim was tied to a post and released after two hours when one Ramkrishna Maitra and his family felt that she had suffered enough,'' it said.

The Commission also took note of another news report which said in Bihar's Bhagalpur district a dalit girl's fingers were chopped off for stealthily plucking spinach leaves.

It directed the Bihar Chief Secretary and the DGP to look into the matter and send a factual report on the incident.

The report said 10-year-old Khushboo was looking for edible herbs when she strayed into one Pankay Rai's Plot in Phuwaria Village.

The owner first assaulted her and then seized the sickle from her hand and chopped of all the fingers on her right hand, it said .

''A villager, who found the girl almost dead from excessive bleeding, rushed her to a doctor.'' Fearing for their lives, the girl's family fled the village but her father managed to lodge a complaint with the Akbapur police, it said.

UNI