NCW to summon Bengal cops for ‘torture’ during Gorkhaland stir
National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma will summon three senior police officers from North Bengal — inspector general of police (North Bengal) Ajay Kumar Nand, Darjeeling police super Askhilesh Chaturvedi and former police super of Kalimpong Ajeet Singh Yadav — in connection with alleged atrocities on women in the North Bengal hills.
All the complaints pertain to the period between June and September 2017, when the Gorkhaland struggle was at its peak in the hills that witnessed a 104-day shutdown. Addressing a press conference in Siliguri on Wednesday, Sharma said, “I was in the hills between April 15 and 17. More than 150 women met me and lodged complaints. Some of these atrocities were so horrible that I never heard about anything similar in my life. I have never heard of such atrocities on women in Independent India.”
She added, “I have the powers to summon them. I shall send the report to the office of the President, the Union home minister and the Bengal chief minister within a week. I recommend an independent investigation by an independent agency.”
However, she also said she was not revealing the identity and specifics of any complaint since it could invite more torture on the complainants. “I am not going to react since her statements appear to be politically motivated,” said tourism minister and Darjeeling district Trinamool Congress president Goutam Deb.
Darjeeling police super Chaturvedi refused to comment and said he was away in Lucknow. “I left Darjeeling before she arrived in the hills,” he said.
As many as 13 people lost their lives and hundreds were arrested during the stir for Gorkhaland. Some of the leaders, including Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri, are on the run since mid-June. Bengal police slapped UA(P)A sections against them. The NCW chief’s stand may trigger a fresh controversy between the Centre and the ruling Trinamool Congress.
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