In a shocking incident, a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage after a police officer in Satara town, Maharashtra, reportedly assaulted her and put her in the lock-up under a false case of soliciting for sex in a public place. The miscarriage occurred within a few days of the woman having returned home.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international NGO for protecting and upholding human rights the world over, has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately order transparent and impartial criminal investigations into the case and a few other similar incidents in various parts of the country.
“The Indian authorities should protect victims from police intimidation and discrimination, and prevent police interference in investigations and post-assault medical treatment,” HRW said in a release.
According to HRW, on April 2, two sex workers were going to a hospital to visit a friend when the police officer called one of the women over and without any warning began to beat her as other cops watched. When the second woman intervened, the officer turned his ire on her. The second woman pleaded with the officer to stop beating her. She told HRW: “When I fell on the floor and held his leg, begging him to stop [hitting me as] I was pregnant, he pushed me away and kicked me.” Later, both the women were taken to the police lock-up and falsely accused of soliciting for sex in a public place, the HRW release said.
Though the pregnant woman was taken to the civil hospital in Satara, she was not allowed to purchase the medicines prescribed by the doctor.
Instead, she was ordered to board the police van and brought back to the police station.
The next day, both women were produced in a local court where they were fined Rs.1,200 each and released.
The pregnant woman, in pain and in need of medication, went to the Satara civil hospital again. Medical documents showed that she sustained a “contusion” and she was prescribed pain killers and antibiotics. However, after a few days of returning home, she began to experience bleeding and suffered a miscarriage, according to HRW.
The NGO has claimed that so far the Satara police had not filed a FIR against the policeman responsible for the incident.
It recalled the alleged sexual assault and torture of a tribal woman-teacher Soni Sori by the Chhattisgarh police on the charge of supporting Maoists, and urged the Centre to set up a high-level task force to advise the government on an appropriate multifaceted response to violence, including victim and witness protection.
“The task force should assist the government in developing protocols and standards on how to respond to violence against women and children, especially sexual assault; to prevent discrimination and improper police interference; and to ensure perpetrators are identified and held accountable,” HRW said.
