Mamata cartoon row: Rights panel summons police commissioner

The West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) today summoned city police commissioner Ranjit Kumar Pachnanda in connection with the arrest of Jadavpur University professor Ambaresh Mahapatra for online circulation of graphics of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy.

The cartoon controversy had hit the national headlines three months ago when the Kolkata Police had arrested Mahapatra.

The Kolkata Police submitted a report to the commission on the incident a few days. Confirming having received the report, WBHRC chairman Ashok Kumar Ganguly said: "The report has been submitted to us. The commission wants to make certain queries regarding the report submitted by the police. Which is why the Commissioner of Police was summoned," said

The WBHRC has also summoned the additional officer in-charge of Jadavpur East police station who was on duty on the day when Mahapatra was arrested.

Mahapatra and the the secretary of his housing society, Subrata Sengupta, had to spend a night in the police station before they were granted bail by a court next day. The duo were booked for bailable offences — defamation, cyber crime and outraging modesty of a woman.

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