Punishable offence: SC/ST body sends notice to Mamata over derogatory remarks

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) took cognisance on its own of a video clip that allegedly shows West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee using derogatory language against the Scheduled Caste community during an election rally.

The constitutional body on Sunday said it had acted on a video aired on Kolkata TV on April 26 in connection with remarks allegedly made by Mamata Banerjee at a recent rally in Kolkata's Chowringhee area while campaigning for a Trinamool Congress candidate during the ongoing Assembly polls in the state.

It has written to the West Bengal chief secretary and the director general of police, asking them to submit a detailed report within three days of receiving the notice. In its notice, the Commission said suo motu cognisance had been taken of the video in which derogatory language was allegedly used against the SC community, and that it had decided to investigate the matter under the powers given to it by Article 338 of the Constitution.

The notice asked the authorities to send an action taken report within three days. It also warned that if no reply is received within the stipulated time, the Commission may use the powers of a civil court available to it under Article 338 and issue summons for personal appearance, either in person or through a representative, before the Commission.

In a press statement, the Commission said the alleged comments were not only objectionable but also amounted to a punishable offence under Section 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

It said that on April 23, while addressing an election rally at Chowringhee in Kolkata in support of a TMC candidate, Mamata Banerjee, while listing the work done by her government, used a term considered derogatory towards the SC community in the Janbazar area.

NCSC chairman Kishor Makwana said the Commission remained committed to protecting the constitutional rights and dignity of Scheduled Castes and would not tolerate caste-based insults at any level. He also said incidents of atrocities and violence against Scheduled Castes had been rising in West Bengal, and described the alleged remarks as unfortunate.

The BJP also reacted to the issue, alleging that Banerjee claims to speak for the poor and marginalised but had humiliated the communities she says she protects. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said on X that the matter was not just shameful but a punishable offence under Section 3(1)(x) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and further alleged that the TMC was anti-Dalit, anti-SC and anti-Constitution.

The Commission's notice and the political response came after the alleged remarks made during the Kolkata rally entered the centre of the election campaign debate.

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