INDIA: Police inaction on the rape and murder of a woman by a doctor in Maldah District, West Bengal 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a human rights organization in West Bengal, that a woman named Mrs. Gedulal Mondal, was raped and then killed by a suspected unqualified doctor on 28 December 2004, in Baishnav Nagar, Maldah District, West Bengal. Though the doctor has now been arrested, the police were late in filing the First Information Report (FIR). It is ironic that although the victim’s husband, who is a jawan (group D personnel) attached with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), made the complaint he was driven away by police officials from Baishnav Nagar Police Station, and threatened since he had made the case public. It was only on the intervention of the local Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) that the FIR was lodged.

This case is yet another example of police inaction and the obstacles India’s citizens face when seeking justice. It is indeed sad that political influence is required in many cases to speed up matters and proper procedures are not properly followed.

We therefore urge you to highlight such inadequacies in the functioning of the law enforcement authorities of the country. We also request you to write to the concerned authorities of the West Bengal Government to see that the investigations are carried out in a systematic manner without any hitches and the perpetrator is punished for his crime.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of victim: Mrs. Gedulal Mondal
Place of incident: Baishnav Nagar, Maldah district, West Bengal, India
Alleged perpetrator: 1) Amal Mandal, a doctor, Baishnav Nagar, 2) a police personnel attached to the Baishnav Nagar Police Station
Date of incident: 28 December 2004
Place of incident: Amal Mandal’s residence in Baishnav Nagar, Maldah District, West Bengal

Case details:

The victim, Mrs. Gedulal Mondal, lived very near the house of Amal Mondal, a practicing doctor but supposedly unqualified. On 28 December 2004, he called Mrs. Mondal to his chambers to assist him in treating a patient. After she arrived, however it is alleged that Mrs. Mondal was injected with some substance thus making her unconscious. She was then raped by Amal Mondal. The victim died while unconscious. Amal Mondal then carried the body by a rickshaw to the Purvaroon Hospital where she was declared dead. According to the victim’s brother, there were a number of bite and scratch marks on her body including her genital organs. Amal Mondal denies the whole incident saying that Mrs. Mondal was ill and had come to him for medical aid. He gave her an injection to treat her but seeing her deteriorating condition he decided to move her to the hospital for further treatment.

The victim’s husband, a jawan with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), went to the Baishnav Nagar Police Station where he was not only alleged to have been driven away by the police personnel who refused to file a First Information Report (FIR) but also threatened because he had dared to make this incident public.

However, according to Mr. Asim Gope, the officer-in-charge (O.C.) of the Baishnav Nagar Police Station, he was not present when the victim’s husband had come to file the complaint and his second-in-command refused to do so. Mr. Gope claims to not only have filed the complaint on his return but also to have arrested the doctor. He also rejects the claim that any threats were made against Mr. Mondal. The Superintendent of Police, Mr. Shashikant Pujari, says that the report of the postmortem is being awaited and they are investigating the causes of delay in filing the FIR

This is not an isolated case and one hears of such police inaction and failure to file a complaint almost every other day. It is quite disturbing that the law enforcement authorities in India fail to cooperate with the citizens who instill their faith in them. It also shows the total apathy of the administration to put rules and functions in order and this is a sad reflection of the governance.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter to the Chief Minister of West Bengal requesting him to take immediate steps to ensure that the case proceeds fairly and in a just manner and the perpetrator of such horrific violence is duly punished. Reasons for delay in filing the complaint by the police should also be properly investigated and action should be taken against those who failed to do their duty.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER