Ganguly should step down after indictment: Trinamool

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress Thursday demanded former Supreme Court Judge A.K. Ganguly step down as head of the state human rights commission, after an apex court panel inquiring charges of sexual harassment indicted him prima facie of "unwelcome behaviour".

Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee not only said Ganguly should step down as the West Bengal Human Rights Commission chair but also urged police to initiate action against him.

"The committee in clear terms indicted Ganguly and after having found guilty of such heinous act, he should immediately resign. I would also urge police to immediately initiate action him," he said.

Another Trinamool parliamentarian, Sougata Roy, criticised the panel for naming the intern.

"The panel has taken refuge behind technicalities to say no action was called for as Ganguly has already demitted office after retirement. I think the panel should have recommended some action and it was also not correct on part of the panel in naming the girl who was the complainant in the case," Roy said.

Contacted for his reaction, Ganguly refused to comment.

The three-member committee of sitting judges of the Supreme Court, which probed the charges of sexual harassment, held that the "statement of (victim) both written and oral, prima facie discloses an act of unwelcome behaviour (unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature) by Justice (retd.) A.K. Ganguly with her in the room in hotel Le Meridien". The incident took place Dec 24, 2012."

Ever since the sexual harassment accusations against Ganguly became public, the Trinamool Congress has been demanding his resignation from the state human rights panel.