The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a report from the Malda district police chief in connection with the July 18 attack on two women in Pakuahat of the district.
Ujjwal Dutta, a lawyer and the BJP president of Malda north (organisational) district, had filed a petition before the NHRC on July 23, seeking its intervention.
“NHRC has taken serious note of the incident, and on Wednesday, they called for a report from the SP of Malda within two weeks. Copies of the order have also been sent to the chief secretary and the director general of police of the state,” Dutta said on Wednesday.
On July 18, the two Scheduled Caste women, who are sisters-in-law and fish sellers, were beaten up by an angry crowd in Pakuahat which is under Bamangola police station. The attackers, including some women, suspected the two women to be thieves. Their clothes were also torn.
Police rescued them. However, the police eventually arrested the two women in connection with the alleged ransacking of a police outpost in Nalagola of the district on July 17, a day before. Multiple sources have said these two women had no link with the ransacking at Nalagola.
On Tuesday, the duo were released from the district correctional home after a local court granted them bail on Monday.
Dutta alleged that the police didn’t even provide clothes to the women after they were taken to the police station.
“They were made to sit in the police station for at least two hours in torn clothes. In my petition, I have also said to the NHRC that the inspector-in-charge of Bamangola police station cannot evade his responsibilities. It is also disappointing that the police arrested them in connection with another case, instead of providing them medical help or getting their statements recorded in the presence of a judicial magistrate,” he said. "We request the NHRC to instruct the state government to compensate the women for their mental and physical agony."
Police officers of the district, when contacted, said two more persons had been arrested in connection with the attack on the two women.
“So far, seven persons, including three women, have been arrested in this case,” said a source.
The video of the assault of the women has been shared widely by the BJP since Saturday to target chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her government at a time the saffron camp has come under attack from various quarters in India and abroad for the violence in Manipur since May.
State minister and senior Trinamul leader Firhad Hakim, while speaking with newspersons in Calcutta, said the NHRC should also seek reports from BJP-ruled states.
“Has the NHRC sought any report from the Manipur government? The state is burning and women there have faced heinous tortures. Has it sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government where persons in handcuffs were gunned down in the presence of police?” asked Hakim.
Thrashed by mob
An angry mob beat up a youth, suspected to be a vehicle thief, in Malda on Tuesday night. Subrata Biswas, a resident of Raninagar village of Old Malda block, is critical and admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital.
Sources said the driver of a pick-up van had parked the vehicle at a petrol pump in Narayanpur near Malda town to collect rental charges when Biswas got into the vehicle and drove away.
As the pick-up van had a GPS tracker, the driver and others could track the vehicle. People gave the stolen van a chase. As it reached the Sonajhuri area, Biswas lost control and the van fell into a ditch.
People caught Biswas and started beating him. As the news spread, policemen rescued him and got him hospitalised.
Allegedly, Biswas is associated with a car stealing racket.
