INDIA: Victim of rape and attempted murder held in jail for two years while the perpetrators remain at large 

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: UA-172-2005
ISSUES: Administration of justice,

INDIA: Gang rape; attempted murder; murder; Border Security Forces; police inaction; legal representation; failure of the courts; rule of law; women’s rights; child rights
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from our local partner organization Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) in West Bengal, India, regarding the gang rape of a woman, the attempted murder of her and one of her daughters, the murder of her husband and other daughter, the complete break-down of the rule of law and the callous and inhuman attitude of the Indian judicial system that has seen the victim and her surviving daughter placed in jail for the past two years.

Joyeeta Bala Das and her family were taken captive in January 2003 by Border Security Forces (BSF) near the India/Bangladesh border. After gang raping Joyeeta Bala Das, the BSF then forced her and her family onto a damaged boat, which upon sinking led to the death of Joyeeta Bala Das’s husband and eldest daughter. Joyeeta Bala Das and her youngest daughter survived and then attempted to seek justice for their perpetrators crimes. However, BSF authorities have continued to maintain that the actions of BSF personnel are an entirely internal matter and therefore they cannot be charged by the police or taken before a court of law. When Joyeeta Bala Das attempted to do so, it was she who was sent to jail, supposedly for ‘safe custody’, while the perpetrators were allowed to remain free.

Joyeeta Bala Das and her four-year-old daughter have now served two and a half years in the Presidency Jail in Kolkata and therefore it is only they who are being punished for the BSF personnel’s actions. That a victim of gang rape and attempted murder who has also lost her husband and daughter can be jailed while the perpetrators remain at large, is a situation that is entirely incomprehensible. That a four-year-old girl could also be imprisoned for this same amount of time, only adds to the tragedy of this case.

We call for your urgent intervention in this matter. Please write immediately to the Governor of West Bengal, Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi and other relevant authorities listed below demanding them to take genuine and direct steps to have Joyeeta Bala Das and her daughter removed from jail and their personal security ensured. A full and thorough investigation should be conducted into this matter and charges laid against persons found to have had involvement in the alleged crimes. If found guilty in court, such persons should be fully punished according to law. The investigation should also look into the claim that the Basirhat police never filed charges against the perpetrators, and as to why proper legal representation was never afforded to Joyeeta Bala Das.

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

Name of the victims:
1. Joyeeta Bala Das
2. Her husband (deceased)
3. Her eldest daughter (deceased)
4. Her four-year-old daughter (currently in jail with her mother)
All of Bena village, under the Basirhat police station, 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal, India
Name of the alleged perpetrators:
1. Puneet Kumar (Assistant Commandant)
2. Gaya Prasad (Head Constable)
3. G. Birbhan Singh (Head Constable)
4. Kana Singh (Head Constable)
5. Hanuman Thapa (Constable)
All of the Border Security Force at 122 Battalion Outpost under the jurisdiction of the Basirhat police station, 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal, India
Place of incident: 122 Battalion, Assistant Commandant’s room
Date of incident: January 2003

Case details:

In January 2003 (actual date not known), Joyeeta Bala Das was returning to her village from Bangladesh, along with her family members, when they were stopped by a Border Security Force (BSF) patrol at the border and taken to the office of the Assistant Battalion Commandant at 122 Battalion Outpost under the jurisdiction of the Basirhat police station, 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal. There, in the room of the said officer, Joyeeta Bala Das was allegedly gang raped by the above mentioned perpetrators, as her husband and daughters were forced to watch.

According to the law, Joyeeta Bala Das and her family should have been handed over by the BSF to the local police. The BSF however, did not do this. Instead, Joyeeta Bala Das and her family were held captive by the BSF for several days. They were not charged with any crime, nor were they able to submit their own complaint regarding the gang rape against Joyeeta Bala Das.

The BSF then forced the entire family onto a severely damaged boat and sent them off on the Ichamati river, back in the direction of Bangladesh. However, the boat had not gone far before it began to sink. As each family member had been tied to the boat, with the obvious intention of having them drown, as the boat began to sink the victim’s husband and one daughter could not free themselves and therefore drowned as the boat went down. Joyeeta Bala Das and another of her daughters however, were able to free themselves and swam to the bank of the river.

The following morning local villagers came across the bodies of Joyeeta Bala Das and her youngest daughter. Though they were still alive, both were unconscious. The villagers took the two to a local hospital for medical attention and Joyeeta Bala Das was further examined to medically confirm the rape.

The Basirhat police then apparently attempted to investigate the matter by confronting the five accused BSF personnel. However, the BSF authorities did not allow the police to do this, stating that it was not within their jurisdiction to do so. The matter, they said, would be dealt with by the BSF.

The Criminal Court then ordered the arrest of the accused BSF personnel. But the BSF personnel appealed this decision in the High Court of Calcutta and the appellate court passed an order of stay, which is still in effect today. Likewise, the appeal pending in the High Court has yet to be heard. As a result of this failure by the High Court to properly pursue the matter, the alleged perpetrators remain free and have yet to be formally charged.

Meanwhile Joyeeta Bala Das, immediately following this incident, filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the police. The matter went before the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate in Bashirhat where the case was to be heard. However, as the BSF maintain that they are their own authority to investigate such matters, the five accused did not appear before the court. Only Joyeeta Bala Das and her daughter showed, and then, in an absurd change of events, it was they who were sent to the Presidency Jail, supposedly for ‘safe custody’, not the perpetrators. Joyeeta Bala Das and her four-year-old daughter have now been imprisoned in the Presidency Jail since 14 January 2003. In the past two and a half years, she has appeared before the Basirhat Court only twice. Though aware that she and her daughter have been imprisoned unfairly, Joyeeta Bala Das is also too afraid to leave the prison for fear of what the perpetrators may do to them. For this reason, it would seem that Joyeeta Bala Das and her daughter may remain in the Presidency Jail indefinitely.

It has since been discovered that the Bashirhat police station made no charge sheet against the perpetrators. Masum also asked Mr. S.K. Das, the Duty Officer of the Presidency Jail if they could meet with him and the victim, but this request was rejected.

At no point throughout this ordeal was a lawyer assigned to Joyeeta Bala Das. However, the jail department apparently now intends to request the law department to assign a government lawyer to her. Mrs. Bharati Mutsuddi, a member of the West Bengal State Commission for Women has promised that she will look into the matter as it is a gross violation of human rights.

This incident highlights the complete failure of the rule of law in the state of West Bengal and the complete lack of competence and willingness to assist by those authorities invested with the power to protect and seek justice for Joyeeta Bala Das and her family.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write a letter to the Governor of West Bengal, Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi and other relevant authorities listed below voicing your strong condemnation at the many injustices in this case.

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

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear ___________,

INDIA: Victim of rape and attempted murder held in jail for two years while the perpetrators remain at large

Name of the victims: 
1. Joyeeta Bala Das
2. Her husband (deceased)
3. Her eldest daughter (deceased)
4. Her four-year-old daughter (currently in jail with her mother)
All of Bena village, under the Basirhat police station, 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal, India
Name of the alleged perpetrators:
1. Puneet Kumar (Assistant Commandant)
2. Gaya Prasad (Head Constable)
3. G. Birbhan Singh (Head Constable)
4. Kana Singh (Head Constable)
5. Hanuman Thapa (Constable) 
All of the Border Security Force at 122 Battalion Outpost under the jurisdiction of the Basirhat police station, 24 Parganas (North) District, West Bengal, India 
Place of incident: 122 Battalion, Assistant Commandant’s room
Date of incident: January 2003

I write to voice my anger and disgust regarding the gang rape of a woman, the attempted murder of her and one of her daughters, the murder of her husband and other daughter and the complete break-down of the rule of law that has seen the victim and her surviving daughter placed in jail for the past two years.

According to the information I have received, Joyeeta Bala Das and her family were taken captive in January 2003 by Border Security Forces (BSF) near the India/Bangladesh border. After gang raping Joyeeta Bala Das, the BSF then forced her and her family onto a damaged boat, which upon sinking led to the death of Joyeeta Bala Das’s husband and eldest daughter. Joyeeta Bala Das and her youngest daughter survived and then attempted to seek justice for their perpetrators crimes. However, BSF authorities have continued to maintain that the actions of BSF personnel are an entirely internal matter and therefore they cannot be charged by the police or taken before a court of law. When Joyeeta Bala Das attempted to do so, it was she who was sent to jail, supposedly for ‘safe custody’, while the perpetrators were allowed to remain free.

Joyeeta Bala Das and her four-year-old daughter have now served two and a half years in the Presidency Jail and therefore it is only they who are being punished for the BSF personnel’s crimes. That a victim of gang rape and attempted murder who has also lost her husband and daughter can be jailed while the perpetrators remain at large, is a situation that is entirely incomprehensible. That a four-year-old girl could also be imprisoned for this same amount of time, only adds to the tragedy of this case.

I trust that you will share in my anger at not only the crimes committed in this case, but in the appalling manner in which they have been dealt. While this woman has had to deal with the trauma of rape and the heartache of losing her loved ones, those responsible for this have been free to get on with their life. Such a situation must not be ignored as this woman’s suffering has already gone on for far too long.

I therefore call on you to use your full authority to help bring justice to Joyeeta Bala Das and her family. Genuine and direct steps must be taken immediately to have Joyeeta Bala Das and her daughter removed from jail and their personal security ensured. A full and thorough investigation should be conducted into this matter and charges laid against persons found to have involvement in the alleged crimes. If found guilty in court, such persons should be fully punished according to law. The investigation should also look into the claim that the Basirhat police never filed charges against the perpetrators, and as to why proper legal representation was never afforded to Joyeeta Bala Das.

Evident from this case is the complete collapse of rule of law within the state of West Bengal. 
Also apparent is the complete lack of competence and willingness to assist by those authorities invested with the power to protect and seek justice for Joyeeta Bala Das. That they can stand by and watch an innocent woman and her child linger indefinitely in a jail while their perpetrators enjoy freedom, says little for the respect for human rights by those authorities within West Bengal.

I look to your immediate intervention in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND A LETTER TO:

Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi
Governor
The State of West Bengal
Raj Bhaban
Kolkata – 700069
West Bengal
INDIA
Tel: +91 33 2200 0707
Fax: +91 33 2200 2444
Email: govsec@wb.nic.ingovernorwb@sancharnet.in

PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:

1. Mr. Subhas Awasthi
Director General and Inspector General of Police
Government of West Bengal
Writers Buildings
Kolkata-1
West Bengal
INDIA
Fax: +91 33 2214 4498 / 2214 5486
Email: padgp@wbpolice.gov.in 

2. Mr. P. R. Ray
Home Secretary
Government of West Bengal
Writers' Buildings
Kolkata - 700001
West Bengal
INDIA
Tel: +91 33 2214 5656
Fax: +91 33 2214 3001
Email: sechome@wb.gov.in 

3. Mr. R. S. Mooshahary
Director General, Border Security Force
Block 10, CGO Complex
Lodhi Road
New Delhi - 110003
INDIA 
Tel: + 91 11 24362181
Fax: + 91 11 24360016
bshq@hub.nic.in

4. Mr. Damodar Sarangi
Addl. Director General, BSF (East)
Eastern Region (Kolkata) Office
West Bengal
INDIA
Tel: + 91 33 22830251
Email: bshq@hub.nic.in

5. Justice Shyamal Kumar Sen
Chairperson
West Bengal Human Rights Commission
Bhabani Bhavan, Alipore
Kolkata - 700027
INDIA
Tel: +91 33 4797259 / 5558866
Fax: +91 33 4799633
Email: wbhrc@cal3.vsnl.net.in

6. Mr. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial and arbitrary Executions
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9230
Fax: +41 22 917 9016 (general)

7. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
OHCHR-UNOG
Palais Wilson, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND 
Fax: 41 22 917 9022

8. Mr. Rudolf Schwenk
State representative - West Bengal
United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
219/2, AJC Bose Road
Kolkata 700 017
West Bengal 
INDIA
Tel: +91 33 2287.2477, 2467, 2511 or 2287.2758 to 2287.2761
Fax: +91 33 2287.2510
Email: kolkata@unicef.org

9. Mr. Cecelio Adorna
India Country Representative
United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
73 Lodi Estate
New Delhi 110 003
INDIA
Tel: +91 11 2469 0401
Email: newdelhi@unicef.org

10. Mr. Jacob Egbert Doek
Chairperson
Committee on the Rights of the Child
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix 
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9022


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : UA-172-2005
Countries : India,
Issues : Administration of justice,