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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 West Bengal
2004 that kidnapping was not part of his
official duties as a police officer. On the
midnight of 30 October 1993, Bhikhari
Paswan was allegedly dragged away from
his home in front of his family and
neighbours by the then Additional
Superintendent of Police, Harman Preet
Singh and three other cops. He was never
found since then. The Association for
Protection of Democratic Rights and the
victim’s father Lakhichand Paswan filed
the petition. Tragically, the victim’s father
Lakhichand Paswan, a chief witness in the
case, died on 29 July 2004 after struggling
to obtain justice for so long. He went to a
coma since shortly before the court gave
its decision. 46
VI. Atrocities by the armed
opposition groups
The Naxalites have also been
responsible for serious violations of
humanitarian laws.
On the night of 4 December 2004, the
cadres of the Naxalites armed with guns,
spears and sharp weapons descended on
the house of Banamali Mura, Secretary of
the CPM’s Kankrajhore branch committee,
and severely thrashed him, Kailash Mura,
member of the Belpahari Panchayat
Samiti, and other CPM supporters. The
Naxalites also torched three vehicles used
for road construction and blew up three
forest bungalows, about 240 km from
Calcutta, in West Midnapore. Kailash had
brought into focus “starvation” deaths in
neighbouring Amlashol, which
embarrassed the government and left the
270
CPM red-faced. 47
On 14 January 2004, Jharkhand Party
(Naren Hansda) worker Kamal Mahato
was killed by the Naxalites allegedly
belonging to the Maoist Communist
Centre (MCC) in Laljal village in West
Midnapore. The victim, his family
members including wife Namita and a
few neighbors were reportedly sitting
near a bonfire in front of his house when
about forty armed Naxalites suddenly
surrounded them. Kamal Mahato was
allegedly dragged out of the huddle at
gunpoint, and beheaded with a heavy
chopper after forcibly pinning him to the
floor. When a relative of his tried to
prevent this, the Naxalites allegedly
broke his legs too. According to police,
Kamal was brutally executed on charge of
being a police informer. 48
On 13 March 2004, armed groups,
suspected to be members of the Kamtapur
Liberation Organisation killed two innocent
villagers of Banglarjhar, a small rural
settlement around 12 km from Mainaguri
town, in Jaipalguri district. At around 8.45
pm, a group of six members of armed
opposition groups drove into the village on
two motorcycles, and opened
indiscriminate firing killing Bishnupada
Das, a shopkeeper, and Deepak Sarkar and
injuring Nitaipada Das, father of
Bishnupada, Nandalal Sarkar, Prakash
Sarkar and Krishna Sarkar. Prakash was
removed to North Bengal Medical College
and Hospital in Siliguri while the others
were being treated at Jalpaiguri Hospital.
Police suspected a KLO group led by