Abduction & trafficking of a woman & police inaction
It
is revealed during our fact finding upon information received that Ms.
Mumtaz (name changed) was abducted on 01 February 2010 under by one Ms.
Anwara Biwi from Barasat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. Ms.
Mumtaz’s mother Ms. Fatima Bewa (name changed) went to Barasat police
station to file a complaint on 11 February 2010. Despite specific criminal
offences mentioned in the complaint the police official did not register a
case and merely made an informational entry in General Diary Entry book. On
13 February 2010, as the poor widow mother approached the same police
station again asking to start a criminal case, she was not attended to and
was harassed throughout the day. It is only after our intervention the
Barasat police station registered a case (Barasat police station case no.
347/10). However, in spite of repeated plea the complainant is denied a copy
of the same till date, which is a clear violation of procedures set in
Section 154 of Criminal Procedure Code .
It is revealed that only certain sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC)
pertaining to abduction is mentioned in the case. Whereas the complaint
clearly mentioned an incidence of immoral trafficking, the registering
police official intentionally omitted related sections of IPC (365, 366,
376) and sections 5, 5A, 5B, 6 and 9 of The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act
-1956 (ITPA) that equally applies against the accused person(s).
Ms. Fatima Bewa had been repeatedly visiting the Barasat police station for
past one month enquiring the status of investigation. But she was
ill-treated time and again thus the Investigating Officer (IO) of the said
case, Mr. Rakesh Chatterjee, Sub-Inspector, undoubtedly violating the
directives under regulation 33 of Police Regulation of Bengal (PRB) – 1943.
Even after passing an important information by the complainant on the place
of confinement of the abducted woman to the concerned IO, the IO remained
extremely reluctant to initiate any affirmative step.
Due to indifference and inaction of the police authorities, the victim’s
life is at peril and still to be rescued from the clutch of trafficker.
Consequently, the family members’ anguish and apprehension is alleviating.
This is yet another case of harassment and torture by the police officials.