An eighteen-year-old girl had to suffer a miscarriage because of a dictate issued by the village’s Kangaroo court, in Uttar Ranichak village of West Bengal. According to reports, the girl had married a boy against the wishes of the village elders.
Reportedly, the girl had married a 21-year-old carpenter 3 months ago. According to the complaint filed by the victim’s mother, the girl was repeatedly harassed by goons in the village. On 27 November when the victim was going to fetch water from a nearby tubewell, some boys in the village passed lewd and sexual remarks on her and said if she complies with them, they can save her from the ire of village’s Kangaroo court. To which the girl had refused.
The ‘court’ was held at 9:30 PM on the same day. It was headed by village headman Sheikh Rabiul Mullick and secretary Sheikh Ashraf Ali. The girl was allegedly punished to perform 25 sit-ups. After 9 or 10 of them, she fell unconscious, which was followed by thrashes and blows to her stomach. She was later rushed to local hospital by villagers, where it was observed that the girl was pregnant and had suffered a miscarriage.
According to sub-divisional officer Tanmay Mukherjee, all the five accused in the incident are still absconding. We tried to contact the police station but could not find information regarding the case.
The victim’s mother has reportedly complained that after the girl fell unconscious, Mullick and Ali had ordered three persons to beat her up. The goons allegedly attacked her with blows and kicks and also snatched a gold chain she was wearing.
Condemning the incident, North 24 Parganas BJP President Pradip Das has reportedly asked Mamta Banerjee led the government to investigate the matter, at earnest. TMC leaders have stated that the accused Sheikh Rabiul Mullick and Sheikh Ashraf Ali had no links to the party.
Crime statistics of West Bengal are a testimony to the alarming level of offences happening in the state, and debacle of executive apparatus. West Bengal in 2016, constituted about 17% of total acid attack cases in the country and 44% of human trafficking.