Kolkata: The West Bengal State Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to Shiladitya Chowdhury, a farmer from Belpahari, who was wrongly called a 'Maoist' by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Chowdhury was arrested in August 2012 after Mamata lashed out at him for questioning her on fertiliser price hike at a public meeting.
The Commission issued a directive to the state government, stating that on inquiry it had been proved that Chaudhuri was neither a Maoist nor a terrorist. It said the chief minister's remarks at a public meeting in Belpahari had apparently damaged Chaudhuri's dignity and social status.
The Commission further observed that since the chief minister is upholding the constitution, 'she is to abide by the constitutional norms'.
"The Commission is constrained to make such an observation", a Commission spokesman said. The state government was asked to pay the compensation within two months.
With Additional Inputs From PTI
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