: The torture of a woman allegedly by officers of the Birbhum police turned into a major controversy on Monday as political parties in the Opposition raised the issue at various quarters.
While the BJP led by West Bengal party president Rahul Sinha met Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi over the issue; senior lawyer and former Mayor of Kolkata Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Manjula Chellur.
Justice Chellur accepted the plea of Mr Bhattacharya, who is also a leader of the CPI (Marxist) and said she would hear the matter on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the woman complained that she was tortured by Birbhum district police officials after they failed to find her relative, Sheikh Mithun, a local BJP leader, in her house in Bardhaman district. According to her, the police took her to a nearby forest and assaulted her. She named the officer in charge of the Parui police station and the Bolpur police station’s CI (official) in her complaint.
An FIR was registered and no arrests have been made yet, said Birbhum Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria on Monday. Stating that the investigation was moving “in the correct direction,” he said: “For the time being, SI Kartik Mohan Ghosh has been closed [removed from duty]. Investigation is going on in the right direction.”
Demanding the State government’s action in the case, Mr. Sinha alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress was involved in the case. BJP national president Amit Shah is expected to visit Bardhaman district on Tuesday.
“This is a shameful incident. We have no faith in the FIR. The Governor has spoken to the Director General of Police and has conveyed to him that the police officials involved in this be suspended. We have spoken to the National Commission of Women and are hopeful that it will take cognisance of the matter and visit the woman,” he added.
Questioning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s silence on the issue, Mr. Sinha said the State government should offer Rs. 10 lakh as compensation to the woman.
BJP MLA from the State, Samik Bhattacharya, visited the woman in Birbhum during the day. Addressing journalists, he said: “Earlier, we had complained against hoodlums sheltered by certain political parties. Now, the work of the hoodlums is being done by the police. There has been no rule of law in this area [Birbhum] for a very long time. While the police have pleaded helplessness off the record, at many places, the police are inactive and over active in certain other areas.”
Representatives of the State Congress also organised a rally at Suri, the district headquarters of Birbhum, in protest against the woman.
A three-member team of the West Bengal Commission of Women also visited the woman.
