NHRC Seeks Report on Parading of Men in South Kolkata

On 29 October 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of reports that people had been paraded semi-clad in Sarsuna, south Kolkata. It issued a notice to the Commissioner of Kolkata Police, seeking a detailed report within two weeks. The NHRC said the reports, if true, raised serious human rights concerns.

Incident and concerns over police conduct

The police action on 27 October reportedly involved men arrested in connection with an earlier assault. Accounts differ on the number paraded: some refer to three people, while another account describes two men. The police were reportedly conducting a crime-scene reconstruction. The earlier incident allegedly involved an 18-year-old, his 19-year-old friend and the younger man’s father being beaten, stripped and forced to walk naked at gunpoint after the youth was seen with a 13-year-old girl. Accounts also differ on whether that assault occurred on 25 October or the day before the police parade.

The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights criticised the police conduct, saying it could “normalise revenge” and usurp the courts’ role. On 5 June 2026, the Calcutta High Court observed that the State may arrest and prosecute people but cannot humiliate them in the name of arrest.

Important Facts for Exams

• NHRC inquiry powers: The NHRC may investigate human-rights violations proactively or reactively, including cases involving government action or a public servant’s negligence.
• Statutory meaning of human rights: The NHRC Act defines human rights through protections for life, liberty, equality and dignity, grounded in constitutional or international guarantees enforceable by Indian courts.