MASUM’s journey - January 2012

MASUM’s journey - January 2012

Banglar Manabadhikar Surtakksha Mancha (MASUM) conducted 8 fact findings during the month of January 2012 and made requisite complaints before the relevant authorities and institutions. Out of these fact findings, 4 incidents are of severe police torture, while in all these incidents, respective police personnel violated procedures and domestic as well as international legalities. One incident is related to torture by Border Security Force; one is related to utter medical negligence, in which the health officials connived with local police to shield the errant, one is related to an incident where a person from tribal community has regularly been threatened by a section of non- tribal persons from his locality, who wants to uproot him from his house, the police were in acquiescence with the culprits, not paid any heed to his grievances and not registered his complaint as an First Information Report for a long. Another incident was related to trafficking of women, a problem took epidemic proportion in Indo- Bangladesh bordering areas. As usual local police not took any adequate measure to apprehend the miscreants.

MASUM observed grave procedural violations regarding arrests and detentions in West Midnapur district. Security force and police are shamelessly justifying their illegal acts on the pretext of curbing ‘Maoist’ menace in the district. In this regard we made complaints to National Human rights Commission and higher ups of administration including police administration. The victims belong to socio- economically marginalized section of the society. All these incidents of illegal arrests and detention in West Midnapur from a single police station area of Jhargram again prove the intensity of this malice.

In Murshidabad, where the human rights parameters are usually low, experienced another incident of savage police torture upon a woman from minority community. The shameful incident occurred in Hariharpara police station area in Murshidabad district. The victim was physically tortured, sexually assaulted and verbally abused. The police personnel of the said police station came to victim’s house to arrest her husband and as he was not there, unleashed a reign of terror upon the hapless woman. The medical negligence incident also took place in the same district, the connivance between police and errant health officials exposed when police changed the original complaint of the victim and replaced the same with a fake and doctored complaint.

We have also uploaded a video in social site, depicting inhumane and merciless torture upon a Bangladeshi citizen by the posted BSF personnel at bordering area of Murshidabad, depicting ruthlessness of bordering guards with no obedience toward the law and set procedures. The video created a major uproar among the human rights fraternity and media.

MASUM also documented important media reports related to human rights abuses published in regional as well as national and international media. In this course we have documented 16 incidents of torture from West Bengal and 5 from rest of the country and 2 incidents of torture perpetrated by the BSF personnel in West Bengal. An incident of death of an inmate at Baharampur Correctional Home took place and documented. We have also documented 9 media reports on encounter killings. Majority of these reports are related to direction given by the apex court on encounters taken place after Godhra massacre in Gujrat. The Supreme Court of India directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate all such incidents. Other reports in this head are related to media statements made by the political leaders on ‘Batala House’ encounter on the eve of Uttar Pradesh assembly election. 36 cases of violence against women have been recorded for the month in which 9 incidents murder and in 4 rapes have been committed. 19 reports on starvation have been documented, in which majority are related to suicides committed by the indebted farmers in West Bengal.  10 incidents of trafficking of women have been recorded for the past month. 16 incidents of child right violations are documented from West Bengal for the timeline. Another major happening of present West Bengal is political violence and in this category 42 have been recorded. An incident of lynching took place during January 2012, in which a person was killed by irate mob.

--
Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
(MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place
Shibtala
Srirampur
Hooghly
PIN- 712203
Tele-Fax - +91-33-26220843
Phone- +91-33-26220844 / 0845
e. mail : kirityroy@gmail.com
Web: www.masum.org.in