The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the Kolkata Police to release Sayan Lahiri, one of the main organisers of the 'Nabanna Abhijan' held on August 27. The march was held against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.
A bench headed by Justice Amrita Sinha ordered that Lahiri be released by 2 pm on Saturday and added no further coercive action shall be taken against him. The release order was passed late in the evening though the final order was kept reserved following the hearing during the day.
Justice Sinha said Lahiri should not face any coercive action, not only regarding Nabanna Abhijan but also in any other pending police case against him.
Earlier in the day, a petition was filed before the court by the counsel of Lahiri, seeking quashing of his arrest on the ground that the police had arrested him on unfounded charges. The petition was treated as urgent and heard out.
The NHRC has also issued a notice to Kolkata Police on Friday seeking clarification on alleged police excesses during Nabanna Abhijan protests on August 27.
"The order of the Calcutta High Court and the notice by NHRC are serious jolts to the state administration and Kolkata Police," said observers.
Parts of Kolkata and Howrah witnessed serious clashes between the police and protesters on August 27. Police used lathi charges, teargas, and water cannons to control the mob when they tried to march towards the state Secretariat in Howrah's Mandirtala area near Kolkata.
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