SANDESHKHALI: A second woman on Wednesday accused TMC leader Shibaprasad Hazra (Shibu) and two of his aides of gang rape, three days after his arrest on Saturday, reports Sanjib Chakraborty.
Following the complaint, the cops lodged a fresh FIR against Shibu, Amir Ali Gazi and Bhanu Mondal, accusing them of wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation, apart from gang rape. Like the first complaint, Wednesday's complainant recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate of the Basirhat court.
After the fresh FIR against the trio, the court allowed the Basirhat cops to add a fresh charge under the relevant IPC sections. "On the basis of the woman's confidential statement... a fresh case of gang rape against Hazra, who is already in police custody, has been registered. We are also looking for two other accused," a senior district police officer said.
The fresh charges were added on a day Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar visited Sandeshkhali, staying the night, meeting locals and cops.
Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar visited Sandeshkhali on Wednesday, staying the night, meeting locals and cops — field officers, members of the 10-member all-women special investigation team, home guards and volunteers. Later in the evening, Kumar and Supratim Sarkar, ADG (South Bengal), toured some troubleprone areas, spoke to residents, and even toured the area in an erickshaw and using the ferry service.
This was an attempt, according to senior cops, to “take stock of the situation and to build confidence in locals, so that they could approach cops fearlessly.” Kumar, Sarkar and Hossain Mehedi Rehman, the Barasat SP, first reached Sandeshkhali by crossing the Choto Kalagachi river from the Dhamakhali Ferry Ghat. Kumar declined to comment to the media.
Police sources said that during the meeting, the DGP scrutinised the nature of some complaints lodged by villagers and instructed the officers concerned to increase police surveillance in the entire area. The senior officers instructed all junior staff, including civic volunteers, to engage with residents and give them a patient hearing.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of media reports on alleged human rights violations in Sandeshkhali. Expressing serious concern, it has asked Bengal chief secretary B P Gopalika and the DGP to table reports on such allegations in four weeks.
An NHRC team will also conduct a spot inquiry, the commission said on Wednesday. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), too, has sought reports from the chief secretary and the DGP on the crisis in Sandeshkhali over allegations of sexual harassment.
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