Skip to main content

Intimidation tactics of West Bengal cop: Seeking bribery to let go alleged smuggling charge

By A Representative 
Kirity Roy, Secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has brought to the attention of the Director General and Inspector General of Police in West Bengal a troubling situation involving  Saddam Hossain, the son of Chabed Ali Miyan from Cooch Behar district. Hossain, who has lived a law-abiding life for the past nine years after leaving behind illegal activities in 2015, is reportedly facing harassment and extortion from local police officials. 
On September 9, 2024, a team of police officers led by a Sub-Inspector visited Hossain's residence, intimidating his family and demanding bribes. During a subsequent meeting, the Sub-Inspector allegedly extorted ₹1 lakh per month from Hossain for smuggling operations and threatened to falsely charge him with drug-related offenses should he refuse. 
Despite Hossain's claims of innocence and his disassociation from smuggling, the Sub-Inspector persisted with threats, even demanding names of others engaged in illegal activities. These threats also extended to  Hossain's family, including his elder brother,  Najrul Haque, who received similar intimidation tactics on September 11, 2024. 
Hossain and his family have gathered evidence in the form of CCTV footage and phone call recordings that capture the threats made by the police officer. However, despite reporting the incident, no action has been taken by local authorities to address the allegations. This situation raises serious concerns regarding the violation of Hossain and his family’s rights to life, dignity, and equal protection under the law, highlighting the misuse of power by law enforcement against citizens who abide by the law. 
Roy emphasized that the actions of the Sub-Inspector violate Rule 33(b) of the Police Regulation of Bengal 1943, as well as international human rights standards, including Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the United Nations General Assembly's Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. 
In light of these egregious acts, Roy urged authorities to intervene urgently with the following actions: 
- An independent and impartial investigation into the entire matter. 
- Registration of Saddam Hossain’s complaint as a First Information Report (FIR) and initiation of a criminal investigation against the Sub-Inspector and any accomplices, carried out by an agency other than the Cooch Behar police. 
- The arrest and prosecution of the offending police personnel in a court of law for their abuse of power and attempted extortion. 
- Provision of adequate protection and compensation for  Hossain and his family to safeguard them from further harassment.

Comments

Post a Comment

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

TRENDING

The “Dr” debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta*  India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.
Post a Comment
»

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine. 
Post a Comment
»

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong   The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.
2 comments
»