Irked over National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman Justice S Rajendra Babu?s recent statement comparing the Gujarat riots and the Nandigram violence, the Left leaders in Parliament have a written a letter to him asking to ?shed his bias? and ?verify the facts? before making a comment.
The letter, signed by Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and Brinda Karat and other senior leaders, protesting the comments said that Justice Babu should ?at least give the state government a hearing?. Interestingly, no members of the Forward Bloc (FB) or the RSP, two key partners of the Left Front in West Bengal, have signed in the letter, making it clear that they are still unhappy with the situation.
?Such a statement has been made even before speaking to the West Bengal chief secretary, without waiting for the report of the state HRC or the report of the NHRC team which is at present in Nandigram. We regret to say that your statement shows bias and prejudice and we apprehend that it will influence any report by the institution you head,? the leaders said.
?Gujarat witnessed the worst communal violence the country has ever witnessed since independence. Even today, thousands of victims of the communal violence in Gujarat remain displaced, waiting for justice, which has eluded them for over five years.
Superficial comparisons with Nandigram tend to undermine and trivialise the trauma and the suffering of the Muslim minorities in Gujarat,? the letter added.