The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of news reports that a youth and a woman were mercilessly flogged in North Dinajpur district in full public view by a group of people.

A local Trinamool Congress leader, Tajemul Islam aka JCB, allegedly led the assault on June, 29, over an alleged extramarital affair.

The commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the couple’s human rights. Accordingly, the commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Bengal, calling for a detailed report on the matter within one week.

The NHRC said the report should include the status of the police investigation, the health status of the victims and medical treatment, if any, provided to them.

"The commission would also like to know about the steps taken/ proposed to be taken by the state government to ensure that such incidents of violation of the human rights of the citizens, by politically protected goons, do not recur," spokesperson for the NHRC Jaimini Kumar Srivastava said.

He said the commission had also asked its director general (investigation) to immediately constitute and send a team, headed by an officer, not below the rank of senior superintendent of police, to visit the place of the incident to conduct an enquiry and to submit a report to the NHRC at the earliest.

Issuing the notices, the commission observed that the reported "cruel and disgraceful act" indicates that the state authorities had not learnt any lessons neither from the shameful incidents that occurred in the past nor from the concern raised by the NHRC.

The commission said the flogging is not an isolated incident in Bengal wherein, "the law has been taken into hands by unruly elements, victimizing innocent people, especially women".

In a similar incident, a woman was allegedly made naked and beaten up in Cooch Behar, said the NHRC.