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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Bihar
Any attempt to access justice warranted
brutal retaliation in the form of murder and
killing.
In July 2004, Sumitra Devi, a Dalit
widow and resident of Jhapha Udan
village in Mizaffarpur district, was held
hostage for 24 hours by village headman
Ambika Ram and his supporters. They cut
her hair, beat her, stripped her and poured
acid on her private parts. The victim was
meted out such inhuman torture because of
an alleged illicit relationship with a
villager who disappeared mysteriously.
Police rescued her on 27 July 2004 after
receiving information that she was being
held hostage and took her to hospital. But
she spent an entire night in pain outside
SKM College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur
before being admitted for treatment. A
hospital doctor reportedly confirmed that
she was tortured like an animal. 44
On 9 September 2004, 35-year-old
Dalit widow was allegedly raped by two
constables in lock-up in Dhalpura police
outpost in Patna district. The police had
earlier picked her up for alleged
involvement in a murder case. Later she
was moved to Beur Central Jail in Patna
where she lodged a complaint. 45
On 26 August 2004, an 18-year-old
Dalit girl belonging to Chamar community
was murdered by Uday Rai and Nanhaki
Rai, both relatives of RJD Legislator Uday
Narain Rai, in Raghopur after she refused
to withdraw the rape case against them. On
16 August 2004, she was raped by these
upper Castes. The culprit had threatened
the victim and members of her community
40
against reporting the matter to the police.
But the victim ignored the threats and filed
a police complaint with the Deputy
Superintendent of Police. 46
On 23 October 2004, two Dalit
women belonging to Rewa village under
Masaurhi police station of Patna district
were allegedly gang raped by four persons
at Taregna in Patna district. The victims
were returning from Taregna with their
children, where they had gone to celebrate
Dussehra festival. They were accosted by
the accused, who took them to a nearby
saw mill and raped them. Hearing their
cries, some locals informed a patrolling
police party of Taregna about the incident.
The police reportedly arrested two persons
red handed while two others managed to
escape. 47
ii. Unfair justice to Dalits
In April 2004, the Supreme Court of
India in its judgement upheld the
conviction and life sentence given to 18
activists of the Maoist Communists Center
under the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), for
the attack on police forces at Bhadasi
village in Jehanabad in Bihar in November
1988. 48 The Supreme Court was
congratulated by the media for defining
terrorism - “If the core of war crimes -
deliberate attacks on civilians, hostagetaking
and the killing of prisoners - is
extended to peace time, we could simply
define acts of terrorism veritably as peacetime
equivalents of war crimes”. 49
While the Supreme Court’s judgment