annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Punjab
was allegedly brutally beaten up and
Deputy Superintendent of the Jail, Satpal
Singh and the jail doctor Chander Shekhar,
inscribed “choorraa’’ 52 (lower caste) on
his back with the help of some surgical
instrument at Jalandar Central Jail on the
night of 2 July 2004. He sought some
medicine after he suffered pain in the
abdomen. The two also allegedly abused
Malkiat saying, “there are no medicines
for Scheduled Castes people.” Medical
reports reportedly also confirmed that he
had wounds on his head and lashes marks
on his body. 53
III. Violence against women
Violence against women especially
the migrant women is widespread in
Punjab.
Rano, a girl belonging to the Kumhiar
caste, became an alleged victim of honour
killing at her parents’ residence in Bhattian
village in Patiala district on 9 February
2004. She was allegedly murdered by her
own family members, who did not want to
recognize her marriage after elopement
with Gurvinder Singh, a lower caste and
resident of Thakurgarh village in Patiala
district, on 30 January 2004. She returned
to her house on 7 February 2004 after her
father, a rich landlord, assured their
marriage. Two days later she died. Her
family members claimed that she died due
to excessive and uncontrollable vomiting.
Rano’s mother Mohinder Kaur claimed
that there was no time to even call a doctor.
Though none had come forward to report
the incident, the police had reportedly
206
registered a case of murder against Rano’s
parents. 54
On 5 September 2004, a large number
of migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
held a demonstration in front of the city
police station in Abohar in Ferozepur
district against police inaction in nabbing
the son of a dhaba, roadside restaurant,
owner who allegedly tried to rape the 12year-old
daughter of Shiv Pratap Singh, a
resident of Nai Abadi locality on 3
September 2004. Family members of the
boy allegedly threatened Shiv Pratap
Singh of dire consequences if the
complaint was not withdrawn. The
migrants demanded the immediate arrest
of the accused. 55
On 5 September 2004, Sarabjeet Kaur
was reportedly sold off to a middle aged
man Nihal Singh of Jandiala in Amritsar
by her in-laws for Rs 25,000. The widow,
who managed to escape from her captivity,
alleged that after her husband died in a
road accident, her mother-in-law started
harassing her saying she was a burden. On
5 September 2004, Sarabjeet’s mother in
law took her to a Gurdwara in Jalandhar,
where she intoxicated her and then
forcibly married her off to Nihal Singh.
She was then taken to Jandiala where she
was allegedly raped. Nihal Singh allegedly
even threatened to kill her one-and-a-halfyear
old daughter in case she refused
sexual favours to him. She alleged that
SHO and ASI of Police Station division
No 7, Jalandhar had pressured her to
compromise with the situation on grounds
that she is a widow. 56