KOLKATA: Tension is brewing in Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal after a voice clip of Darjeeling police station SHO Soumyajit Roy allegedly threatening to burn a man’s house down and rape his mother and sister, went viral on Sunday.
In the audio clip, a man’s voice, which is alleged to be that of Roy, can also be heard referring to the numerous burning of houses during the 104-day Gorkhaland agitation last year.
“If you have a problem, your house will be added to the list of houses that have been burnt down,” a voice said in the 1.35 minute-long audio clip in Hindi.
Another voice retorted: “Are you a police officer or a goon?” To this, the first voice said: “I will rape your sister and mother.” However, the authenticity or context of the clip is yet to be ascertained.
Achutram Bhattarai, the person who was issued the threat, has mailed a letter to Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi with a copy to Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia stating that the police officer called and threatened him for supporting statehood for Gorkhaland.
Farmer’s organisation Kalimpong Krishak Kalyan Sangathan threatened to launch an agitation and a transport strike from March 14 if Soumyajit Roy was not suspended and a judicial probe was not ordered into the incident.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Soumyajit Roy said: “That is not my voice. This is a baseless allegation and is a conspiracy to malign me by people who do not want peace to return to Darjeeling.”
A complaint is yet to be lodged against the police officer. A top police officer called the controversy ‘social media hullabaloo’. “People are investigating the case on Facebook,” he said.
However, the Bimal Gurung faction of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which has accused West Bengal Police of torture and burning of houses, demanded a Supreme Court-guided CBI and NIA investigation into the arson last year.
“The audio recording is only a glimpse into how those loyal to the Gorkhaland cause are being treated in West Bengal. Soumyajit Roy’s threat is reflective of the mentality of using rape to silence dissent,” the release by Bimal Gurung read.