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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Assam
the women. The petrified villagers filed an
FIR at Bismuri outpost. The victims were
sent for medical examination to the R.N.
Brahma civil hospital, Kokrajhar. 36
The Assam State Human Rights
Commission directed the Inspector
General of Police report on the alleged
rape of two Karbi women, Basa Lekthapi
and Terangpi from Chapong Khorsing Kro
village under Loringthepi police outpost in
Karbi Anglong at Howraghat police
station in February 2004. 37
On the night of 10 March 2004, troops
of the Gorkha Regiment molested seven
women - Mulasi Basumatary, Minati
Daimary, Dable Basumatary, Hapang
Basumatary, Damanti Basumatary,
Subashi Narzary and Dukushree
Basumatary from Saraguri village under
Runikhata border out-post of Kokrajhar
district. An FIR vide case No-17/2004 US
448/354/34 IPC was lodged at Basugaon
police station on 15 March 2004. 38
The soldiers of the 11th Jammu and
Kashmir Light Infantry regiment stationed
at Habrubil in Gossaigaon allegedly raped
an Adivasi woman at gunpoint inside her
residence in the presence of her husband,
at Padmapukri under Gossaigaon police
station in Kokrajhar district during the
intervening night of 29 and 30 June 2004.
The jawans, who came to Padmapukari
railway station to receive several
colleagues returning from leave, allegedly
crossed over to the village adjoining the
railway station and committed the crime.
Medical examination of the victim
subsequently confirmed the rape. 39 The
accused army jawans- Havildar Satish
Kumar and rifleman Rajinder Kumar-were
reportedly court martialled and sentenced
to 10 years’ imprisonment. 40
On 3 July 2004, four soldiers of the
236th Inland Water Transport Regiment
identified as Harjeet Singh, Baljit Singh,
Hardeep Singh and Pushpinder Singh were
arrested by the Assam Police for molesting
2 girls at a restaurant under Thana Chariali
in Dibrugarh town. 41
In June 2004, Rahima Begum, a 17year-old
girl from Bokel village near
Lahowal in Dibrugarh district was
allegedly tortured by the officer-in-charge
of Lahowal police station after implicating
her in a false case of theft. She reportedly
bore wounds of torture on her thighs, legs,
hands and back. A student of Class X at St
Mary’s Sishu Bikash Kendra, she was
picked up from her residence on 2 June
2004 on suspicion of being involved in a
case of theft of valuables at the bungalow
of a tea estate manager where her brother
and father were employed. Rahima’s
brother, Salim Ahmed, was arrested along
with another woman, Lily Begum, for
their alleged involvement in the theft.
Rahima alleged that the officer-in-charge
handcuffed and tortured her for almost
three hours at a stretch. Lily Begum, who
was in the same lock-up, corroborated the
accusations saying that the police officer
asked her to hold Rahima’s legs while he
stripped and physically abused her.
Rahima also alleged that while she was
being freed on bail on 23 June 2004, the
police officer allegedly threatened to shoot
25