Skip to main content

Farm worker's murder: WB authorities 'haven't acted' on NHRC order for 6 years

Counterview Desk 
Human rights defender Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), in a representation to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson, recalling a complaint he had made to NHRC about the killing of a landless farmer, Akbar Ali, about four years ago, has regretted that “no justice has been extended to the family members of the deceased.”
Despite NHRC directions to the authorities, Roy said, influential persons in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, “are regularly intimidating the family to withdraw the case”, the wife of the deceased with a five-year daughter is “living a life under abject poverty”, and the family has “not receive the prescribed compensation amount” set for the death of the farmer worker.

Text:

Here I want to draw your attention over a complaint by me and which was duly registered in your commission vide NHRC Case No. 1817/25/13/2019 - PF. The complaint was on an incident of brutal killing of a poor, landless, marginalized Muslim youth namely Akbar Ali, aged about 27 belonging from Other Backward Class community of Krishnanagar village under Raninagar Police Station area of Murshidabad district of West Bengal, by the Border Security Force personnel attached with 117 number Battalion of Kaharpara Border Out Post on 31.07.2019.
The victim succumbed to the injuries from severe torture reportedly inflicted by seven to eight BSF personnel under the leadership of the then Company Commander B.G.Setty who were on duty at the time of incident. Just after the killing, local people gheraoed Raninagar police station and after assurance of justice from BDO- Raninagar II Block, Officer in Charge of Raninagar PS and Panchayet members, the gherao was lifted (paper cutting enclosed).
The Commission on their part disposed of the case on 23.12.2019 with a direction to the Secretary, Government of India, North Block New Delhi, where the direction mentioned, “The Complaints be transmitted to the concerned authority for such action as deemed appropriate. The authority concerned is directed to take appropriate action within 8 weeks associating the complainant/ victim and to inform them of the action taken in the matter.”
But as typical for the authority of their defiance to Commission’s direction, they neither took an action nor informed the same to the victim or complainant within the mentioned time. Four long years have passed after the direction pronounced, no justice has been extended to the family members of the deceased.
Raninagar Police Station initiated a specific case vide Raninagar Police Station Case No. 359/19 dated 31.07.2019 under sections 302/34 of Indian Penal Code against the Kaharpara Company Commander at that time BG Setty and other BSF personnel but in this case too, neither the accused were booked or justice ensured for the family members till date.
In between the complainant, who is the brother of the deceased, faced regular intimidation from the accused BSF personnel, pressurizing him to withdraw the complaint against the accused BSF personnel. He informed the matter to the Superintendent of Police; Murshidabad district on 15.02.2021 but no protection measures have been taken by the police.
It has been reported that the influential persons from the area are regularly intimidating the family to withdraw the case. The wife of the deceased with a 5-year daughter living a life under abject poverty due to the death of the only earning person of the family. The family did not even receive the prescribed compensation amount set for the death of a farmer and for his/ her funeral.
In this context I demand for: Immediate and appropriate action must be taken against the authority who disobeyed the Commission’s directives
  • Financial compensation must be made to the family members 
  • Commission must direct the associated criminal justice administrator to expedite the proceedings of Raninagar PS Case 350/19 
  • Protection of the family members and witnesses must be guaranteed
  • Departmental action must be initiated against the involved BSF personnel.

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

Gujarat Sachivalaya blacklists, denies entry to woman social activist: Will NHRC probe?

By Kantilal Parmar*  I have approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) seeking an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into a serious incident that took place at the Gujarat Secretariat in Gandhinagar on August 18, 2026. The matter concerns social activist and women’s rights leader Chandrikaben Solanki, who, according to the information available to me, was denied an entry pass to the Secretariat when she went there to meet Gujarat’s Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Dr. Manishaben Vakil, to raise an issue concerning social justice.
Post a Comment
»

Ample evidence of child labour in South Gujarat's cash rich sugarcane belt: Study

By Rajiv Shah A recent German government-funded study , undertaken jointly by the NGO Prayas Centre for Labour Research and Action and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, which mainly deals examines the working conditions of migrant workers in the cash-rich sugarcane zone of South Gujarat, has gone a long way to suggest large scale prevalence of child labour during the harvesting season.
1 comment
»

Right to walk, right to livelihood: Clearing footpaths 'can't mean' clearing out the urban poor

By Aseem Mishra*    India’s cities are locked in a quiet but intensifying struggle over one of their most contested public spaces: the footpath. For pedestrians, a footpath is basic infrastructure—a strip of ground that should allow people to move safely, independently and with dignity. For millions of informal workers, the same stretch of pavement is a workplace, a source of daily income and often the difference between survival and destitution.
20 comments
»