Pakua Hat tribal woman harassment: State finally acts against local policemen for inaction

Kolkata, July 28

West Bengal police has finally initiated departmental actions against police personnel under Bamangola Police Station in Malda district for "inaction" after the alleged harassment and outrage of modesty of two tribal women at Pakua Hat in the same district on July 19.

As many as four officers have been “closed” on charges of negligence in the

matter.

The officers against who actions have been taken include Bamangola Police Station’s inspector-in-charge Jaideep Chakraborty, Nalagola police outpost’s officer-in charge Mrinal Sarkar, Pakua Hat police outpost officer-in- charge Rakesh Biswas and assistant sub-inspector Sanjay Sarkar.

To recall, besides those involved in harassment of the two tribal women, the police also arrested the two victims on charges of their recent involvement in ransacking of Nalagola Police outposts under Bamangola police station.

However, both were released on bail later.

The matter attracted huge criticism and even the Malda district police authorities initiated a departmental inquiry against these four officers.

Finally, actions have been initiated against them nine days after the alleged harassment and outrage of modesty of the tribal women took place.

Initially after a video on the incident surfaced, the state commerce & industries minister Dr Sashi Panja claimed that BJP was unnecessarily politicising the Malda matter.

“The Malda incident was a case of theft, where the two women tried to steal something from a local market. In that process a group of women made an attempt to take law & order in their hands. A case has been registered and the police

are investigating the matter,” she had said.

At this the civil society raised questions that can even a theft accused be manhandled and harassed in such a manner and that too at a public place.