Next door neighbour, a WB cop, threatens Dalit small business owner, files 'false' criminal case

By Kirity Roy*

This is about an incident of continuous threat, harassment, intimidation and subsequent false implication in a criminal case. The victims of continuous ill treatments belong to Malo, a scheduled caste community of West Bengal. They are father and son duo, Ganesh Halder, aged 70 years, and Pintu Halder, aged 35 years. Both are residents of village and post Puratan Bongaon, under Bongaon Police Station of 24 Parganas (North) district of West Bengal.

The perpetrators of these illegal and unjust acts are a serving police constable attached with the Bongaon police station and his wife, who are neighbours of the victims. The victims own a Ghani (oil extracting mill from mustard) and rice and flour huller in the locality. The perpetrators are living behind this mill with many others. The locality has many business establishments and shops.

Though the mill is running for more than 20 years, nobody opposed its function. All of a sudden, three months back, the police personnel started opposing the business activities of Ganesh Mondal. While he failed to gather sufficient support from neighbourhood, conniving with local police station and using his association with the police administration, he implicated Ganesh and Pintu Halder in a false criminal case vide Bongaon PS Case No 452/24 dated 08.05.2024 under sections 354(d)/ 506/509 of Indian Penal Code.

The business activity has permission from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, trade licence from Kalupur Gram Panchayat and no objections from the neighbours.

The offender started humiliating and threatening the victims in public places. The offender intimidated Ganesh and Pintu Mondal by saying that “at the time I am accompanying with the SP and Officer in Charge, I wish to see how your mill will run”. He even verbally abused Ganesh by naming and referring to his caste. The offender referred him by saying "you are fishermen, lower caste and despicable human beings."

The victims are under extreme mental trauma and distress caused by these verbal abuses, implication in a false case and imminent threat to his livelihood activities. They have made written complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Bongaon Police District, with similar complaints to the Sub Divisional Police Officer, Bongaon, and the Inspector in Charge of Bongaon Police Station. But no corrective measures have been taken.

The victims are under extreme mental trauma and distress caused by verbal abuses and implication in false case

In our fact finding, it was proved that the serving police constable attached with the Bongaon Police Station and his wife are trying to stop the mill by using his post at police station. We have also documented necessary papers obtained by the victim mill owner. Local neighbours also corroborated the fact.

These acts by a public servant attracts offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989’s section (viii) false, malicious or vexatious suit or criminal or other legal proceedings against a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe'; secion (ix) giving false or frivolous information to any public servant and thereby causing such public servant to use his lawful power to the injury or annoyance of a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe; and section (x), intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view.

The Director General of Police, West Bengal, has been requested to take immediate action against the offenders under above mentioned sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and make independent investigation on the false criminal case slapped against the victims, belong to Scheduled Caste community.

Further, the victims must be provided with adequate security and safety and their business activities must be duly protected.

---

*Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM). This article is based on the author's representation to the the Director General and Inspector General of Police, West Bengal

Comments

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.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Penpa Tsering’s leadership and record under scrutiny amidst Tibetan exile elections

By Tseten Lhundup* Within the Tibetan exile community, Penpa Tsering is often described as having risen through grassroots engagement. Born in 1967, he comes from an ordinary Tibetan family, pursued higher education at Delhi University in India, and went on to serve as Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from 2008 to 2016. In 2021, he was elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), becoming the second democratically elected political leader of the administration after Lobsang Sangay.

From Puri to the State: How Odisha turned the dream of drinkable tap water into policy

By Hans Harelimana Hirwa, Mansee Bal Bhargava Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.

Mark Tully: The voice that humanised India, yet soft-pedalled Hindutva

By Harsh Thakor* Sir Mark Tully, the British broadcaster whose voice pierced the fog of Indian history like a monsoon rain, died on January 25, 2026, at 90, leaving behind a legacy that reshaped investigative journalism. Born in the fading twilight of the Raj in 1935, in Tollygunge, Calcutta, Tully's life was a bridge between empires and republics, a testament to how one man's curiosity could humanize a nation's chaos.

Territorial greed of Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin could make 2026 toxic

By N.S. Venkataraman* The year 2025 closed with bloody conflicts across nations and groups, while the United Nations continued to appear ineffective—reduced to a debate forum with little impact on global peace and harmony.

Search This Blog