NHRC sources told UNI today that a complaint filed by a social activist alleged that the Station House Officer of Manoharpur in Singhbhum (West) district had entered the house of one Berel Jojo to carry out attachment proceedings and in the process manhandled, abused and insulted his wife and two young daughters. The commission recommended that the State Government pay the compensation to within eight weeks.

The complaint further stated that though the matter was reported to the authorities by the local MLA and residents and several protests organised, no action was taken against the guilty police officer.

The policeman reportedly claimed he was close to the chief minister and said no one could harm him. Earlier, the NHRC had issued notice to theState Government and in its response, the State police department submitted a report.

The report admitted that the police officer had forcibly entered the house as the women had restrained him, and then attached the property and prepared a seizure memo.

According to the report, though the officer used force and manhandled the women to enter the house, he did not abuse them in any way. It said the seizure memo was not drawn on the spot and the witness signing the memo did not corroborate the police version that it was signed at the place of the attachment.

The officer has been asked to report to the headquarters and a departmental inquiry would be initiated, the report added.

However, the commission, on evaluating the report, observed that the search and attachment were carried out without even ascertaining whether the house actually belonged to the person whose property was to be attached.

Also, provisions relating to calling women members at the time of entering the house was ignored, despite theknowledge that young women lived there.

The commission felt the officer did not follow the rules in preparing the seizure memo on the spot before the witnesses. Instead, he took the articles to another place where the memo was actually drawn, the sources said.

As departmental action has reportedly been initiated against the police officer, the NHRC directed the superintendent of police of the area to submit a report of its outcome as soon as it was completed and the action taken on it.