Now, rape in police custody in Bengal

A twenty-seven-year-old woman lodged a complaint with the SDPO of Chandannagar in Hooghly district in West Bengal on Tuesday, alleging that she was raped inside the compound of a police station by the officer-in-charge of Bhadreshwar police station.

The woman said the officer-in-charge of the police station, Mithun Banerjee, allegedly threatened her to physically compromise with him else he would slap false charges against her husband who was arrested two days before on charges of dacoity.

She said she was then forced into the officer’s quarter located inside the police station, where she was raped.

Dire consequences

The woman claimed that Banerjee even threatened her of dire consequences if she disclosed the rape.

Additional SP of Hooghly district Amitava Verma ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The victim was subjected to medical examination and a second opinion was taken, but no evidence of rape was found, informed Tanmoy Roychoudhary, SP Hoogly.

However, following the allegation of rape against him, Banerjee has been transfered to the Police Lines at Chinsurah, in Hoogly district.

This is the second case of custodial rape in West Bengal. The previous incident occurred in 1989, when a Bangladeshi pavement dweller was raped by a policeman who was an office-bearer of the policemen’s union.