GUWAHATI: The Assam State Commission for Women has begun a probe into alleged stripping and torture of a pregnant woman and her two sisters inside a police outpost in the state’s Darrang district.
A delegation of the Commission, led by its chairperson Chikimiki Talukdar, met the three women on Wednesday and recorded their statements.
After being instructed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Brajenjit Singha, is conducting an investigation into the case.
The authorities had on Tuesday placed under suspension Mahendra Sarma, the accused inspector in-charge (IC) of Burha police outpost and a lady constable, Binita Boro.
The Assam Police Accountability Commission has registered a case and summoned Darrang SP, Amrit Bhuyan, and the suspended IC of the police outpost to Guwahati. Bhuyan has been asked to submit his report within 15 days.
He had told reporters on Tuesday that no major injuries were reported after the three women were admitted to a hospital following the incident which took place on the night of September 9. However, a doctor, who was on duty that day, said as serious injuries were detected during the medical examination, he had referred the three women to another hospital. He, however, said he was not aware one of the women was pregnant. He said they also did not tell him anything about it.
The All Assam Minorities Students’ Union has demanded the arrest of the two suspended cops and set a deadline of Wednesday for the same. It warned that it would be forced to launch an agitation across the state from Thursday if the authorities failed to arrest the duo.
The alleged attack on the three women from Guwahati has its genesis to an incident of abduction of a Hindu girl by their brother Raful Ali. A team of Burha police outpost had come to Guwahati on September 8 searching for him but did not find him. So, it picked up his three sisters and took them to Burha. The following night, the trio was allegedly stripped and beaten up mercilessly inside the police outpost.
One of the women was allegedly two months’ pregnant and the pregnancy had to be terminated as a result of the assault.
Meanwhile, the Hindu girl on Wednesday said Raful’s love for her was one-sided. She said as she did not reciprocate, Raful first started harassing her and then kidnapped her. She alleged that she was forcibly confined by his three sisters. She demanded action against them. She said Raful freed her and surrendered only after his three sisters were taken away by the police.