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

FF Code : W.B. /Mon (Murari Dey)/Hooghly/
July-02/07/2007/ Sl.No.- 35
Victim(s) : Padma Mondal
Perpetrator(s) : Unnamed POs
Location : Near Pandua Sub Divisional Office,
Hooghly
Date of incident : 26/06/2007
Case Details:
Victim Padma Mondal belongs to a Scheduled Caste community. On 26 June 2006, Padma
Mondal was severely injured (along with others) in a police lathi charge because she participated
in a village gathering.
In Itachuna village, Pandua District, near to Padma Mondal’s home, a health centre was
organised by the Itachuna Gram Panchayat. At the centre, all of the villagers could receive
medical assistance.
At some point in time, the center stopped functioning. An appointed female doctor also failed to
come regularly. As a result, the people in that locality had no medical facilities.
A group of young men of the village learned from a reliable source that the government was
sending funds for the health centre on a regular basis, but the Panchayat Pradhan [head of the
local authority] was misappropriating the money.
On 26 June 2006 at 12.00pm, thousands of villagers gathered in front of the Development Office
[in protest]. Also at the Office were around sixty police personnel, including armed police and
five female officers. Some people from the gathering spoke with the District Magistrate, Mr.
Dinesh Das, but the discussion achieved nothing.
At Around 5.30pm, some villagers lay down in the street and blocked the car of the Sub
Divisional Officer. The police responded by attacking the protesters with lathis until the protestors
departed.
The police arrested twenty-six persons and took them to Pandua PS; the persons were later
released.
Padma Mondal was among those arrested. Mr. Anup Bhowmik, the officer-in-charge of the
station, took her in his own vehicle to Pandua Hospital, where the doctors referred her to
Chuchura Imambara Hospital for treatment.
Mr. Bhowmik has stated that the incident was unfortunate and could have been avoided. Mr.
Bhowmik has also said that he is ready to take all responsibility of the Padma Mondal’s
treatment.
West Bengal
233
Annual Report on Torture
2007