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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 West Bengal
to the severe injuries sustained through
repeated kicking and other similar
physical abuse for his refusal to give
money to the security personnel to buy
alcohol. The Superintendent of Police of
Malda registered a case; but BSF
authorities denied any involvement of
their soldiers and alleged that he died of
heart attack. 16
Tapan Manna was killed when the
police resorted to open firing to disperse a
mob at Dwarikapur in East Midnapore in
the evening of 26 February 2004. The mob
had gathered outside the house of the inlaws
of Banibala Samanta who died of
burns. Her family alleged that she was
murdered. 17
On 12 November 2004, Abhijnan
Basu was allegedly burnt to death inside
Presidency jail. The deceased was
reportedly doused with diesel fuel and set
on fire by officers of the Presidency jail
allegedly for daring to protest against the
quality and quantity of food provided to
the prisoners. 18
ii. Arbitrary arrest, detention and
torture
Torture in police custody of the
suspects is routine for the West Bengal
Police. The Border Security Force
personnel have also been responsible for
torture of suspects.
Rajesh Gurung was allegedly severely
beaten up in Coke Oven police lock-up in
Durgapur and held in illegal detention
throughout the night of 1 May 2004.
Gurung and Piyali Sarkar had eloped on
262
the night of 27 April 2004 and got married
in a court in Durgapur. On the same night,
Piyali’s father Harisadhan lodged a
complaint with the police alleging that his
daughter had been abducted by Gurung.
Gurung was admitted at Durgapur Subdivisional
Hospital on 3 May 2004. 19
On 5 May 2004, the West Bengal
Human Rights Commission ordered an
inquiry into the alleged police torture of
Sushil Sharma, a Congress worker, who
was arrested on 26 February 2004 in
connection with a murder case. Sharma’s
wife, Aparna, a commissioner of
Behrampore municipality, alleged that her
husband was tortured in custody. 20
On the late night of 3 September 2004,
Madhusudan Seth of Mamudpur village,
Kalna in Bardhaman District was arrested
by the Police of Manteswar Police Station
under alleged false charges of domestic
violence. Seth was arrested without
issuing arrest memo. He was produced
before the court of Sub Divisional Judicial
Magistrate on 4 September. However,
while in custody and being produced
before the court, Seth was meted out illtreatment.
While being arrested, he was
wearing only an underwear but he was not
allowed to change his cloth for two days
on 4 and 5 September 2004. Moreover, the
police paraded Seth in public merely
wearing his undergarments for several
hours to humiliate him. 21
On the night of 13 November 2004,
alleged drunken jawans of the India
Reserve Battalion armed with hockey
sticks and cricket bats brutally beat up