Girl raped and killed, her mother (complainant) & sister are taken to police station to withdraw the complaint, detained and tortured. Real picture of Women Day in West Bengal
Kirity Roy
8 March 2021
To
The Chairman
National Human Rights Commission
Manav Adhikar Bhawan
Block-C, G.P.O Complex, INA
New Delhi – 110023
Respected Sir,
On the date when internationally people are observing international women day, we are sorry to inform you one incident of police inaction with overaction and with the nexus of the accused the police officials of Doulatabad police Station used coercive process to the family members of one rape victim to withdraw their complaint. The mother and sister of the victim are being continuously pressurized, threatened and even tortured for getting confession that they are associated with prostitution activities. This incident must throw a pile of shame to our democracy because in the pious day of international Women Day where the government takes pledges to respect the rights of the women and provide them equal opportunity, the criminal administration in our state reverses back the situation and make the government responsible for that.
The details of the fact is mentioned below –
Ms. Sanjila Khatun was read in Murshidabad Adarsa Mahavidyalaya. She was a meritorious girl in her class, 1st year. As she had a physical beauty, her mother Mrs. Rejina Bewa out of concern for her daughter’s safety and security, gave her marriage with Mr. Muklesur Rahman, son of Munsur Ali of Dubapara village under Raninagar Police Station. The economical condition of Mr. Muklesur is very low and therefore he had gone for Kerala as migrant labourer. Due to college examination, Ms. Sanjila came to her mother’s house as for short distance to arrive her college.
The mother of Ms. Sanjila told to our fact finding member that Mr. Abul Hassan son of Saijuddin Seikh of Lalnagar village under Murshidabad Police Station used to make ugly gestures towards her daughter and annoyed her frequently. On 09.12.2020 at about 10 pm Sanjila’s phone rang a few times but she did not pick up the phone. Next day in the morning when the family members woke up, they found that Ms. Sanjila was not in the bed. They thought that Ms. Sanjila might go out for morning walk just like every day. But as the day progress and their daughter did not return at home, they had doubts in their minds and they started searching in their village areas. After much searching, half a kilometer distance from the house, they found Ms. Sanjila lying half naked beside the bushes. The villagers and eye witnesses who are reluctant to disclose their names told to our fact finding member that the body of Ms. Sanjila had scars all over her body and was lying naked with a wrapped scarf around her neck. The mother of the victim was informed and she came to the place and she broke down into tears. The villagers and mother of the victim suspected that her daughter was raped and murdered. Local people informed the incident to the Doulatabad Police Station. After few hours some police personnel of Doulatabad Police Station came to the spot. While recovering the body of the victim by the police personnel of the Doulatabad police station, they remarked that the victim committed suicide by wrapping scarf around her neck. But the villagers protested against this remark of the police personnel. Mrs. Mamata Begum, family member of the victim told to our fact finding member, “Ms. Sanjila was raped and murdered very planfully. It is not a case of suicide as her whole body was full of scars and no one can be half naked by herself.” The family members of the victim also told that the victim was raped and murdered by a group of people and demanded their punishment. The Block Development Officer of Murshidabad did inquest the body of the victim before declaring the victim as dead. An unnatural death case was registered at murshidabad Police Station vide UD case no. 1131/2020 dated 10.12.2020.
On 11.12.2020, the mother of the victim Mrs. Rejina Bewa lodged one written complaint to the Officer in charge of the Daulatabad Police Station where she put allegation against Mr. Abul Hassan son of Mr. Saijuddin Sk of Lalnagar village, Murshidabad Police Station to commit such offences. The complaint was acknowledged by the officials of the Daulatabad Police Stataion and registered as First Information Report bearing FIR no. 256/20 dated 11.12.2020 and put sections 376/302 of Indian Penal Code against the accused Mr. Abul Hassan. From the copy of the First information Report it is revealed that One Sub Inspector of Daulatabad Police Station namely Mr. Biswanath Roy was directed to take up investigation of the above referred case.
After that the perpetrators and their relatives several times pressurized upon the mother and sister of the victim to withdraw the complaint against Mr. Abul Hassan in connection of this incident. When Mrs. Rejina Bewa, mother of the victim and Ms. Chandmira Khatun, sister of the victim went to Daulatabad Police Station to lodged one written complaint against this continuous pressurization of the perpetrators, the Sub Inspector and Investigating Officer of the case Mr. Biswanath Roy refused to receive the complaint. Ms. Chandmira Khatun is read in Murshidabad Adarsa Mahavidyalaya and she is also involved in the malaria prevention service under the Department of Health, Government of West Bengal. She stopped to go to the college and working place due to fear from the perpetrators but the police officials of Daulatabad Police Station did not take any action regarding this.
Mrs. Rejina Bewa also alleged that the Investigating Officer Mr. Biswanath Roy mentally harassed her and her daughter in the name of investigation by saying that the victim Ms. Sanjila and her sister Ms. Chandmira are women of bad characters. He also said that the family of Mrs. Rejina survives by doing bad work to their daughters. Mr. Muklesur Rahman, husband of Ms. Sanjila also alleged that the police officials of Daulatabad police station are keeping a close watch on their families. They do not permit them to leave their village even also they put restriction to use their mobile phone.
On 02.03.2021 at about 6 pm three police vans with Mr. Biswanath Roy, Investigating Officer of the case along with 12-14 male police officials and without any female police came to the house of the Mrs. Rejina Bewa and visited the place of occurrence. He also recorded the statement of the Mrs. Rejina Bewa, mother of the victim and Ms. Chandmira Khatun, sister of the victim. After that they took the mother and sister of the victim to the Daulatabad police station with their police van. They did not want to go but the police officials were forced to go with them to the police station. In the police station in the name of interrogation the police officials paint the character of her dead daughter in bad language. Even during the time of interrogation one police official slapped Ms. Chandmira hard in her left ear. As for result her ear became numb she could not hear well and swelling over her left ear. At about 11 pm the police officials reached them to their home by car. On 04.03.2021 she was received medical treatment at Godhanpara Block Primary Health Centre, Murshidabad.
On 03.03.2021 at about 9 am again one civil dress police official of Daulatabad Police Station namely Mr. Kaushik and other two persons forcefully took the mother of the victim and sister to the Daulatabad Police Station. In the name of interrogation the police officials put pressure upon the mother and sister of the victim to withdraw their complaint. The police repeatedly applied coercive method to confess them that the victim was died in the situation as she had to run the family by trading in prostitution.
On the same date without issuing any notice some civic police personnel of Daulatabad police station by force took the husband of the victim Mr. Muklesur Rahman to the Daulatabad Police station. In the police station he was also threatened to confess that the victim was associated with prostitution.
Mr. Sentu Seikh, relative of Mrs. Rejina Bewa informed our fact finding member that when he and his wife went to the Daulatabad police station they saw that the police officials continuous threatened Mrs. Rejina and Ms. Chandmira to withdraw their complaint.
On 04.03.2021 some police officials of Daulatabad police station came to Rejina’s house but they were not in the house as she went with her daughter Ms Chandmira for her treatment at Godhanpara Block Primary Health Centre.
On 07.03.2021 at about 9 am again the police personnel of Daulatabad police station came to the house of Mrs. Rejina and offered her Rs. 2 lakh for withdrawing the complaint, but when Mrs. Rejina did not inclined to withdraw the complaint one police official namely Mr. Kaushik babu beat Ms. Rejina with a stick and put pressure to sign in the white blank paper. When Ms. Rejina was determined not to sign in the blank paper, Mr. Kaushik put the pen in her two fingers and pressed it heavily. Police officials used abusive language towards the mother of the victim and told that if she would not withdraw the complaint, then she was implicated in false charges and sentenced in 14 years jail.
The act of the police officials of Daulatabad police station violated the provision of the section 160 where it is laid down that no male person under the age of fifteen years or women shall be required to attend at any place other than the place in which such male person or women resides and also section 163 of the Code of Criminal Procedure where it is clearly written that no police officer or other person in authority shall offer or make or cause to be offered or made any such inducement, threat or promise as is mentioned section 24 of the Indian Evidence Act. The police officials also violated the provision of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and also Article 6 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While police of Daulatabad police station refused to accept the complaint from Ms Chandmira sister of victim girl, police violated the rule framed by apex court of India in Lalita Kumari case.
The incident reflects the entrenched impunity in the criminal justice system and systemic attack on religious minorities, especially Muslims, and women by public officials. Therefore I seek your urgent intervention in the case by fulfilling the following demands:
· An independent and non partisan investigation of the incident by the investigating wing of the Commission.
· Proceedings should be initiated against the perpetrators.
· Immediately transfer the case to the Criminal Investigation Department of the West Bengal Police for proper and neutral investigation.
· Psychological aid to the mother and sister of the victim
· Security and safety of the family members of the victim, particularly the mother and the sister of the victim. Immediately take action against their life threat.
Thanking you,
Yours truly
Kirity Roy
Secretary, MASUM
&
National Convener, PACTI
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
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