Human rights body ultimatum on rape

KOKRAJHAR: A New Delhi-based human rights organization has set September 25 as the deadline for the district administration to take up the alleged rape of a disabled Bodo woman by some SSB jawans at Sonapur village in the Bismuri area recently.

Addressing a media conference here on Monday, Jebra Ram Muchahary, the president of the Borosa Foundation of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights, said deputy commissioner (Kokrajhar) Donald Gilfellon should take action not only against the culprits involved in the rape of the deaf and dumb woman at Sonarpur on September 10, but should also take some stern measures to stop frequent molestation of women allegedly by security forces.

Muchahary said a team of his organization visited Sonapur on September 16 to find out what had actually happened there. The members of the team met the victims and witnesses for an on-the-spot investigation. "They met some villagers, who said the woman was gangraped allegedly by a group of 12 SSB jawans deployed along the Indo-Bhutanese border passing through the district," he added.

Around 11.30 on September 10, the husband of the Sonarpur victim said, the SSB jawans had barged into his hut near a link road. "They kicked us awake and tried to force me gulp down a bottle of liquor. When I refused, they started beating me mercilessly and raped my wife," he was quoted as saying by an official of the rights group.

According to the husband, the criminals forcefully dragged out his wife's elder sister from the hut and dumped her in the courtyard. She, however, managed to flee and hid in a nearby bush.

The following day, the locals took the husband-wife duo to the village headman and lodged an FIR with the Bismuri police outpost. They were accompanied by volunteers and leaders of the All Bodo Students' Union (Absu), the All Bodo Women Welfare Federation (ABWWF) and the Boro Somaj.

Muchahary said, "We have lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, which has registered two gangrapes in Kokrajhar. The other case involved rape of a housewife by suspected Army jawans."

The rights group chief accused Gilfellon of not taking adequate measure to arrest the Sonarpur criminals.

In the meantime, Absu president Lawrence Islary said members of the union would stage a three-hour protest demonstration in front of the DC office from 10 am pm on September 20.


(2011-9-20/The Times of India)