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

On 8 October 2006, Khatun and the other man went to Domkal by bus. Khatun did not return
home.
After three days, Khatun’s father went to the Jalangi PS to lodge a written complaint against the
man. However, ASIs Sri Swapan Saha and Utpal Das refused to accept his complaint. Instead,
they forced Biswas to lodge a missing diary.
Biswas lodged a complaint with the SP, Berhampore, Murshidabad, as well as with the Sub-
Divisional PO, Domkal, Murshidabad. No action has been taken.
FF Code : W.B./MON (S. Moktar Ahmed)/
24 Pgs (North)/
August-07/08/07/Sl.No-53
Victim(s) : Jhuma Bibi
Perpetrator(s) : POs, Deganga,
Location : Kauke Pada, Deganga
Date of incident : 20/06/2007
West Bengal
91
Case Details:
Victim Jhuma Bibi lived with her in-laws. Her father, Abdul Salam claims that Jhuma Bibi’s
husband and his family always demanded money. As Abdul Salam was a poor man, he could
not fulfil their demands; nonetheless, Jhuma Bibi’s in-laws used to torture her for money.
On 20 June 2007, victim Jhuma Bibi’s father-in-law informed Abdul Salam that Jhuma Bibi had
been missing for a few days. Abdul Salam arrived and found nobody at the father-in-law’s
house; the neighbours suggested that he file a missing person report at the Deganga PS.
Soon afterwards, local people started to pressure the officers at Deganga PS to take immediate
action. The police responded by interrogating Jhuma Bibi’s in-laws at their house.
Some days later, Jhuma Bibi reappeared. She states that her in-laws tortured her, despite that
Abdul Salam had given them Rs. 10,000 and other assets as a dowry. Jhuma Bibi maintains
that her husband tried to extract more money from Abdul Salam, and that her in-laws forced her
to earn money through prostitution.
In circumstances that are not entirely clear, Jhuma Bibi departed with an unknown person, and
later went to live at a helpful old woman’s house. After fifteen days, her father-in-law arrived to
take her home. On the journey back to her father-in-law’s house, she spent a day in police
custody at the Deganga PS.
Annual Report on Torture
2007