Cops, miscreants assault woman AAP leader

It was a case of insult upon injury for 36-year-old Shweta Pathak, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader who raised her voice against miscreants and extortionists in Bihar’s Buxar district.

She was not only slapped by a cop when she went to Itari police station to lodge an FIR against the hoodlums, but the miscreants, getting to know about the incident, reportedly abducted her and tried to outrage her modesty after brutally assaulting her.

And to rub salt to her wounds, the Buxar superintendent of Police asked her what merited the urgency for her to go to the police station at night. Shaken and badly bruised, both physically and emotionally, Pathak, along with fellow AAP leader Parveen Amanullah (former minister and wife of Bihar's former home secretary Afzal Amanullah), has appealed to newly-appointed Bihar DGP P K Thakur to ask the men in uniform to stop misbehaviour with complainants, particularly women.

Shweta’s “fault” was that as a social activist she had raised her voice against hoodlums in Buxar who reportedly extort money from the vendors of Itari Bazaar Samiti.

“When I went to lodge an FIR against the extortionists, the sub-inspector on duty, S N Singh, slapped me. When I complained about this to the SP, he asked me why I had gone to the thana (police station) at night. It was eventually on the arrival of the woman police station in-charge Anamika that my FIR was lodged,” said a visibly shaken Pathak.

When the goons of the area came to know about the complaint, they reportedly took Pathak to the Itari Bazar Samiti area and assaulted her. “Some miscreants tried to rape her too. But the timely arrival of locals saved the day,” said Parveen. She demanded that the culprits be identified and punished. The AAP leader also demanded suspension of the guilty cop.

“The DGP had recently said policemen throughout the state should behave properly with the aam aadmi (common man). But the ground reality is just the opposite,” said Parveen, who quit the Nitish Kumar Cabinet earlier this year to join the AAP.

Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that evacuation of nurses from Iraq was a result of "collective efforts" and thanked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Indian Embassy in Iraq and Ministry of External Affairs.

"We were in a very difficult situation in the last few days. Nurses in Tikrit were directly contacting me and their family members were contacting me.

"I requested External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and also called the Indian Embassy. I am very thankful to Swaraj and Indian ambassadors, MEA and the Embassy, they all helped us," he said.

"In the last two days, I met Swaraj four times and we discussed everything and I'm happy about the attitude of the minister, she took personal interest," said Chandy.

Meanwhile, the relatives of the nurses have already arrived at Nedumbassery Airport to receive them.

Father of Neenu Jose (23) from Rajakaad in Idukki said, "I am grateful to God, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj".

Neenu's mother said, "Today is my daughter's birthday and the reunion is the best gift".

Sudeep, CEO of NORKA Roots, which acts as a counsel for the non-resident Keralites, said all the 46 nurses, except one, belonged to Kerala. The other one hails from Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

All efforts will be made to take them to their respective residences as soon as they arrive in Kochi, he said.