Man accused of being a Maoist by Mamata Banerjee to get Rs 2 lakh compensation

Kolkata: The West Bengal Human Rights Commission has ordered the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation to Shiladitya Chowdhury, who was accused of being a Maoist by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Mamata Banerjee had called Mr Chowdhury a Maoist after he asked her a question on the rising fertiliser prices at a public rally on August 8 last year in West Midnapore district.

Angry at the question, Ms Banerjee had asked the police to arrest Mr Chowdhury on August 10, two days after the incident.

Accused of allegedly grievously hurting policemen on duty at the rally, Mr Chowdhury had to spend 14 days in jail and still has two cases filed against him.

"It is now proved that I was innocent. I urge the government to heed the human rights commission andprotect democracy," Mr Chowdhury told NDTV today.

In a related case, the State Human Rights Commission had ordered payment of Rs 50,000 to another academic, Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested and jailed for a night on April 13, 2012 for forwarding a cartoon of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Professor Mahapatra has not received the compensation yet.