Thursday, May 19 2005 09:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: An Indian American has been nominated to the US State of Maryland's Human Relations Commission, the Commission has announced.

Shambhu Banik, a Republican community activist, has been nominated by Governor Robert Ehrlich to the Commission, it said.

The Human Relations Commission is a nine-member body that makes recommendations to the Governor on human rights issues such as discrimination and enforces the State's laws in these areas.

His nomination has been confirmed by the State's Senate Executive Nominations Committee and he will hold the office for four years.

Banik, a clinical psychologist, was among the first to rush to Bhopal to help victims after the Union Carbide explosion in 1984. He has been active for several years in local community organisations.

He is a long-time Republican and was first recognised by former US President George Bush who made him director of the President's Committee on Mental Retardation.