03-West Bengal Report.pdf - People's watch

West Bengal
50
Soon after his marriage, 12 to 14 policemen came to Molla’s house to arrest him
based on a charge of attempted rape. Molla was not home, and the police officers
threatened his family. Molla surrendered himself at the Kulpi PS. Molla was imprisoned
in the Diamond Harbour Correctional Home where Sukdev Shaw was the jailor.
On 31 July 2007, at 2:30pm,, Molla was found beside a deserted bathroom of the jail
with his neck tied up by a towel to a hook. It is known that there is a criminal gang that
blackmails the families of prisoners to pay them or else the prisoners are mentally and
physically tortured, provided poor food, and not allowed to meet with their families. It
is believed that Molla was killed by this gang and made to look as though he had
committed suicide.
FF Code
Victim(s)
Perpetrator(s)
Location
: W.B./ MON (S. Mukhtar Ahmed)/District-24
PGS(N)/Aug-26/08/2006/Sl.No.-4
: Amardip Balmiki alias “Pappu”
: POs Barrackpore PS
: Barrackpore PS
Date of incident : 16/08/2006
Case Details:
Victim Amardip Balmiki (“Pappu”) worked as a cleaner at the Cantonment Board.
On 16 August 2006, Pappu was on duty between 2.00pm and 10.00pm. At some point on that
day, Pappu died. His body was later found in the garage of the Barrackpore PS. His death was
reported in the Hindi version of the Rajasthan Patrika in Kolkata. Local people responded to
Pappu’s death by protesting in front of the station and alleging that Barrackpore PS police officers
beat Pappu to death. The Barrackpore PS has denied this allegation.
Annual Report on Torture
2007
While the exact circumstances of Pappu’s death are unclear, it is clear that Pappu was arrested,
and then he died in police custody, as his body was found within the Barrackpore PS police
compound. That compound has high walls and is guarded by sentries making highly doubtful
that Pappu was in the compound without the police’s knowledge. No judicial magisterial enquiry
was conducted into the death of the victim which was in violation of Section 176(1-A) of the
Criminal Procedure Code.