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Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, 20 OCT: A human rights organisation ~ Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity ~ has urged the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to initiate a criminal case against a city police officer accused of torturing two minor boys (in photo) in police custody.

The complaint was lodged after the accused police officer Mr Jamauddin, attached with North Port police station, was given a clean chit by his superiors.

The right’s body alleged that Mr Jamauddin, had tortured two minor boys ~ Master Arun Singh (11) and Master Ramjan Sheikh (8) ~ while in custody on 11 August so brutally that they started bleeding from their noses. The boys were picked up from Armenian Ghat by the officer on mere suspicion that they were involved in a theft. A member of Calcutta Samaritan, an NGO working in the field of child rights, had lodged a complaint against the officer at North Port police station after the incident came to light.

The mothers of the victims were allegedly abused by the officer when they went to the police station and requested the cop to release their sons. The officer-in-charge of the police station, Mr Dulal Ghosh was not in the police station when the minors were “tortured”.

The boys were taken to a doctor for medical treatment only after Mr Ghosh came to the police station. After the matter came to the notice of a member of Calcutta Samaritan, he went to the police station and lodged a complaint against the officer.

“We have investigated the complaint but found no evidence against Mr Jamauddin. The boys were actually involved in a theft. The officer had only scolded the boys,” Mr Ghosh said.

After Mr Jamauddin was given a clean chit, Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity lodged a complaint with the NCPCR on 9 October demanding that a “criminal case” against the accused be initiated. In the complaint it was alleged that the rights of the minors, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, were grossly violated. Even if a minor is involved in a crime, he/she should be treated under the provision of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, the complaint stated.

The rights body also sent a fact-finding report on the incident to NCPCR, its national convener, Kirity Roy said. Ramjan’s mother, Ms Rekha Bibi, alleged that apart from abusing her, the officer had beaten her son in custody causing bleeding from nose. Similar was the punishment given to Arun, said his mother Ms Kalpana Singh.