http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/bhatta-parsaul-rape-case-contempt-proceedings-if-no-action-143832
Bhatta Parsaul rape case: 'Contempt proceedings if no action'
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: October 24, 2011 13:01 IST
Lucknow: It pitched Mayawati against Rahul Gandhi and while the Uttar
Pradesh administration may have dragged its feet in registering cases
against policemen, alleged to have raped women in Bhatta and Parsaul
villages, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission has now
stepped in.
The chairman of the SC/ST Commission, PL Punia, has told NDTV that it
will initiate contempt proceedings unless the Uttar Pradesh Police
initiated immediate action on the Bhatta Parsaul rapes and registered
FIRs.
"If an FIR is not registered in the Bhatta Parsaul case, it means the
Uttar Pradesh government officials are indulging in contempt of court.
The commission has powers to initiate contempt proceedings. Although
the commission has never exercised these powers but it is willing to
do so if an FIR is not registered," Mr Punia said.
For almost six months their ordeal during the violent farmer-police
clashes in Bhatta Parsaul, which took place in May this year, went
largely unreported. But now women are speaking out and alleging cases
of rape against policemen, who cracked down on the protesters.
Says a rape victim, (name withheld). ''The day the firing happened
(May 7) police forcibly entered our homes. Some stood outside our
homes and some 3-4 policemen misbehaved with us. They forced
themselves upon us and raped us.'' Another victim adds, "The day the
firing began, the same evening police raped us. We went to the High
Court and tried to register a FIR, but they did not register our FIR
and now police keep coming back and threaten us.
One of the victims had filed a case of rape before the Station House
Officer (SHO) of the Dankaur Police Station, alleging rape by the
Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawans deployed in Bhatta-Parsaul.
However alleging police inaction they took the matter to court. A
lower court ruling ordering an FIR be registered was then challenged
by the state government. The matter was then taken up by Allahabad
High Court, who then slammed the state government for its refusal to
lodge an FIR.
Justice SC Agarwal of the Allahabad High Court had said the state
government had no business to challenge the lower court's decision
ordering the police to register an FIR on the complaint of the victim.
The state government has so far denied the rape cases.
Despite the government's denials, the Bhatta issue is not likely to go
away anytime soon and could play a major factor in the run-up to UP
elections next year. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi first raised the
issue during a visit to the twin villages of Bhatta and Parsaul. He
claimed that locals told him that the police had raped women.
The tension between the police and the villagers stems from large
protests by farmers who want the government to return the land that
had been acquired for them for public projects. The farmers allege
that the land they had surrendered had been passed onto commercial
real estate developers and the government was making a profit. As
protests broke out, police allegedly opened fire. Four people were
killed, including two policemen.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/bhatta-parsaul-rape-case-contempt-proceedings-if-no-action-143832&cp
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/
No comments:
Post a Comment