Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Women march to Jhargram to protest against ‘police torture’


Source: Bartaman 21 July 2010


Source: Anandabazar Patrika 21 July 2010


Source: Sanbad Pratidin 21 July 2010


Statesman News Service
MIDNAPORE, 20 JULY: While the West Midnapore district police have been trying to build up police-public relations anew and wean people away from the clutches of the PCPA and Maoists in general in Junglemahal by organising a football tournament, about 6,000 women including school girls from different places under the banner of the Nari Izzat Banchao Committee (NIBC), a newly-formed women’s wing of the PCPA, marched to Jhargram town today to protest against alleged police atrocities on the women of Sonamukhi in Jhargram and Gosainbundh, Dohijuri and Baghasole in Binpur.
While three such rallies were stopped by joint forces outside the town, one rally managed to reach the office of the Jhagram SDO from where they were turned away by the police. They wanted to meet the SDO, Mr C Murugan, alleging inaction on his part, in failing to inquire into the alleged rape of six housewives at Sonamukhi by the joint forces on 30 June. However, the police made a lathi charge to disperse the protesters and detained four of them.
After receiving written complaints from the tortured women early this month, the SDO assured them that he will see that their allegations will be inquired into. However, the matter was not inquired into, nor were the guilty policemen punished, the NIBC leaders alleged. The SDO said that his inquiry report was given to the district magistrate and that the police will investigate the matter. “I have no knowledge whether they lodged complaint with the police,” the SDO said.
In Gosainbundh, Dohijuri and Baghasole in Binpur, in the name of flushing out Maoists from their homes, the joint forces beat up several residents on Friday. However, 16 injured people of Gosainbundh were denied treatment in Jhargram Sub-divisional Hospital and in retaliation, a plan to ransack the hospital and the SDO’s office and bungalow on Sunday was made. The police prevented this by arresting 30 villagers.
Source: The Statesman, 21 July 2010
http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=335297&catid=42
 

No comments: