Custodial death in West Bengal: Suicide? Girl 'may have been tortured', NHRC told

By A Representative
Bringing to light the custodial death of a young girl belonging to the Other Backward Class community in the Hemtabad Police Station, a senior human rights activist has complained to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson that the incident "proves" that the police personnel "are enjoying full impunity after causing the death of the victim."
Basing on a preliminary fact-finding report over this custodial death, Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), said, the girl, Sima Nasrin, daughter of Shah Alam, residing at village Bagidanga, PO Madhabpur, PS. Kaliaganj, was a student of class XI of the Bangalbari High School.
She was arrested by a team of police personnel of Hemtabad Police Station. Even after arresting the victim, no family members were informed. She was kept in police lock up. She later died in custody, said Roy, adding, the root of the incident was, she was in love with Safran Ali, 17, son of Talibul Ali, residing at Beltor village under Hemtabad Police Station.
According to Roy, family members of girl claim, Safran seduced the girl and ran away from the house on October 20. In the morning, the maternal uncle of Safran called the girl's family, threatening, if they would not take their daughter, she would be done to death.
Meanwhile, said Roy, family members of Safran informed the police personnel of Hemtabad Police Station. One woman police constable, three male civic volunteers and one male sub-inspector "apprehended" the girl and "took her to their custody by car." However, the police did not inform the girl's family about her arrest.
According to the police, at about 12 noon the girl committed suicide in the bathroom of the police lockup. After the incident at about 1 pm the police personnel took the injured girl to the Hemtabad Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared her brought dead.
"It is most interesting that the victim was declared dead at 1 pm but the family members of the victim were not informed. In the afternoon at about 4.30 pm Kaliaganj police informed the family members of the victim regarding her death", Roy said, adding, worse, "for more than 20 hours the family members of the victim were not permitted to see the body."
Calling it "custodial death", Roy said, the inquest report of the deceased, obtained from the Raiganj Government Medical College Hospital and Morgue suggested, there were "reddish injury marks all over the back and right hand and right leg", which shows the victim may have been "tortured before death".
Claimed Roy, "The victim girl's family is under serious threat now. Political leaders of ruling party, including MLA, Panchayat members and police of Kaliyaganj PS and senior officers are stationed at her house. Proposals of money and government service are being offered to stop complaint against police."

Comments

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Death behind locked doors in East Kolkata: A fire that exposed systemic neglect

By Atanu Roy* It was Sunday at midnight. Around 30 migrant workers were in deep sleep after a hard day’s work. A devastating fire engulfed the godown where they were sleeping. There was no escape route for the workers, as the door was locked and no firefighting system was installed. Rules of the land were violated as usual. The fire continued for days, despite the sincere efforts of fire brigade personnel. The bodies were charred in the intense heat and were beyond identification, not fit for immediate forensic examination. As a result, nobody knows the exact death toll; estimates are hovering around 21 as of now.

Search This Blog