NCSC to report to Prez on plight of Scheduled Caste political prisoners in Bengal

Kolkata, April 18 The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) will report to President Droupadi Murmu and the West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on the plight of political prisoners from the Scheduled Caste community who are locked in different correctional homes in the state.

Recently an NCSC team headed by the commission's vice chairman Arun Halder made a sudden spot-visit to one of the central correctional homes in Kolkata and reviewed the situation.

The commission has decided to report to the President and West Bengal Governor about their finds, Halder informed media persons. According to him, there are several political prisoners from the Scheduled Caste community who had been locked in the different correctional homes in the state without trial for years.

He also alleged that although the matter had been brought to the notice of the state secretariat, a number of times there had been no response on this count from the latter. Halder also alleged pressure on the undertrial prisoners from the Scheduled Caste community to frequently change their statements in the cases concerned, which is delaying the process of justice.

"Hence we have decided to take up the matter with the Indian President and the West Bengal Governor," he added.

However, the West Bengal minister of state for correctional services department Akhil Giri has rubbished the claims by the commission.