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

FF Code : W.B./Mon (Gopen Chandra
Sharma)/Murshidabad/
June-13/06/2007/ Sl. No.-68
Victim(s) : 1) Shilpi Khatun; 2) Mafia Bewa
Perpetrator(s) : 1) Somnath Banerjee, OC; 2) POs
Location : Jalangi PS
Date of incident : 27/04/2007
Case Details:
Victim Shilpi Khatun was 12 years old, and lived with her mother Mafia Bewa.
On 27 April 2007 at around 7.00pm, Sahin Mondal went to Shilpi Khatun’s house and made a
sexual request of her. She refused. Sahin Mondal tried to unclothe Shilpi Khatun and raped her.
When Mafia Bewa returned home, she found her daughter hanging by a rope.
At around 11.00pm, Mafia Bewa informed the Jalangi PS about the incident. The police took
away Shilpi Khatun’s body without verification by a medical expert of her death. The police went
the body to Berhampore Governmental Hospital.
OC Somnath Banerjee asked Mafia Bewa to reach a compromise with Sahin Mondal.
On 28 April 2007, a post-mortem investigation was conducted at the Berhampore Police Morgue.
On 7 May 2007, Sahin Mondal’s associates called Mafia to attend a local reconciliation meeting
and tried to amicably settle the matter by paying Rs. 7,000. Mafia refused to compromise.
Sahin Mondal’s father Lalu Mondal threatened to murder Mafia Bewa if she visited the police
station again.
On 28 May 2007, Mafia Bewa gave a written complaint against Sahin and Lalu Mondal to OC
Somnath Banerjee.
On 29 May 2007, the police detained Lalu Mondal and his wife at the police station. They
eventually arrested Sahin Mondal.
On 30 May 2007, the police released Lalu Mondal and his wife.
Later that day, unknown persons brought Mafia Bewa to the Jalangi police station, where they
forcibly obtained her left thumbprint on some blank papers.
West Bengal
155
Annual Report on Torture
2007