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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Uttar Pradesh
of 5,160 complaints of atrocities and
harassment against women across the
country in 2003. 19 There were reports of
honour killing and custodial rape. Dalit
women became easy target for inability of
their husbands to pay debts.
On 21 November 2004, an upper caste
girl identified as Ruby was allegedly
murdered by her parents at their house at
Alipur Morna village under Hastinapur
police station in Meerut district and later
threw her body in the Ganges near
Mukhodoompur village for the “sake of
honour”. She was reportedly in love with
her Dalit neighbour, Yogendra Jatav. When
Ruby was fast asleep, her parents allegedly
entered her room. While her mother, Reeta
Sharma held her legs tight, her father
Jayanta Prasad choked her breath till she
died. They later confessed their crime, and
have been sent to jail on charges of
murder. 20
On 7 July 2004, a police constable,
Arjun Singh was suspended and sent to jail
for allegedly raping Munni and Shabnam,
inmates of the Women Protection Home,
Agra. 21
On 25 August 2004, two police
constables - Jai Veer Singh and Prem Pal
Singh of Agra allegedly abducted a 21year-old
poor housewife, Dayawati and
sold her off for Rs 20,000. When her
hapless husband, Sanju - who irons clothes
and uniforms of cops at the Reserve Police
Lines in Agra - went to the policemen to
look for his wife, they struck another deal
with him. They promised to fetch the
woman back for Rs 30,000. On 26 August
2004, Sanju reportedly recorded his
statement before a senior police officer
saying his wife had been kidnapped by the
two constables and sold her off to one Raju
in New Delhi for Rs 20,000. On 27 August
2004, Agra Senior Superintendent of
Police, Raj Kumar Vishwakarma said an
inquiry had been instituted under
Additional SP (City) Gulab Singh. He,
however, tried to absolve the accused
policemen. According to him initial
reports indicated Dayawati had eloped and
married someone else. 22
On 15 September 2004, a woman
undertrial prisoner, was attempted with
rape and later brutally beaten up by four
police constables at a transit lock-up at
Hamirpur district court compound. The
victim was taken to the Hamirpur district
court for hearing; but as judicial work was
suspended on that day owing to the
statewide strike by lawyers, she was
lodged at a transit lock-up of the court
compound. Suddenly some lawyers at the
Court compound heard a cry for help and
tracing the cry, they reached the transit
lock-up where they found the victim was
scuffling with some male police
constables. No woman police was present
there. The victim alleged that the police
constables had tried to rape her. The two
women inside the cell as well as a few
undertrials at the men’s lock-up
corroborated her allegations. The lawyers
took the girl before the district judge, who
in turn directed a chief judicial magistrate
(CJM) to record statements of the victim
in-camera. She was, however, sent back to
247