Police book BJP leader after mob beats up mentally challenged woman in Jalpaiguri
West Bengal, July 17: Police registered the case after Taramani Roy, vice president of BJP Mahila Morcha, Jalpaiguri district committee was seen in a video where the mob was thrashing Sunita Bakshi (35) in Dhupguri area of Jalpaiguri.
Police in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri town on Tuesday registered a case suo-motu against a BJP leader who allegedly led a mob which tied a mentally challenged woman to a pillar and thrashed her after accusing her of being a child lifter on Monday.
Police registered the case after Taramani Roy, vice president of BJP Mahila Morcha, Jalpaiguri district committee was seen in a video where the mob was thrashing Sunita Bakshi (35) in Dhupguri area of Jalpaiguri.
The incident is the latest in a series of assaults and lynching across the country where people have attacked strangers at the slightest suspicion of them being child lifters.
“A case has been initiated against Taramani Roy under IPC sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 304/511 (attempt to commit culpable homicide),” said Amitabha Maiti, superintendent of police of Jalpaiguri district.
Police said that Roy was on the run.
On Monday evening, residents of Kadamtala village that is a part of ward 9 of Dhupguri civic body confronted Sunita and wanted to know why she was roaming around in the area. Since she could not satisfy them with her answers, people began to suspect she was a child lifter and began beating her before Dhupguri police rescued her.
The police case against Roy triggered a spat between the Trinamool Congress and BJP.
“Taramani Roy led the mob last night. It was clear from the woman’s attire that she was mentally challenged. To attack her suspecting that she is a child lifter is a serious crime,” alleged Rajesh Kumar Singh, Trinamool Congress leader of Jalpaiguri district and vice chairman of Dhupguri municipality.
The BJP insists that Roy actually saved Sunita’s life
Debasis Chakraborty, BJP Jalpaiguri district committee president, claimed, “Had Taramani not intervened the victim would have been lynched by the mob. In a bid to rescue the victim, she could have slapped the victim a couple of times.”
Sunita is currently under the protection of Dhupguri police.
She is a resident of Balagarh in Hooghly district, more than 700 km from where she was assaulted.
“Yesterday she was taken to Dhupguri rural block hospital for treatment after which she was brought to the police station. Today, she was produced before a court in Jalpaiguri where her statement was recorded,” said Sanjay Dutta, inspector-in-charge of Dhupguri police station.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Cong demands TN governor's sacking over his 'secularism is European concept' remark
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Monday slammed as "outrageous and unacceptable" Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's remark that "secularism is a European concept" and demanded his immediate sacking.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that Ravi is "only a trial balloon floater" and is echoing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to get done.
Ramesh's remarks came after Ravi said secularism is a European concept that evolved after a conflict between the church and the king whereas Bharat is a dharma-centric nation and therefore, it was not part of the Constitution but added during Emergency by "one insecure prime minister".
The Tamil Nadu governor, while addressing an event in the Kanyakumari district on Sunday, said a lot of frauds have been committed against the people of the country and one of those was a wrong interpretation of secularism.
Reacting to the remarks, Ramesh said, "This man, who has taken an oath on the Constitution and who -- inspite of his drumbeating -- remains a Constitutional functionary, should be sacked forthwith. He is a disgrace."
"This is not the first outrageous and unacceptable statement he has made. But he is only a trial balloon floater. He is echoing what the non-biological PM wants to get done," the Congress leader said.
Ravi had also said, "What does secularism mean? Secularism is a European concept, secularism is not a Bharatiya concept."
Decades later, during Emergency (1975-77), "one insecure prime minister," introduced secularism in the Constitution in order to appease some sections of people, the Governor alleged.
Indira Gandhi was the prime minister during Emergency.
Ravi further said that secularism emerged in Europe as there was a fight between the church and the king and in order to end this conflict, which went on for a long time, this concept was evolved.
At the time of Independence, when the Constitution was being drafted, a discussion came up on secularism and the Constituent Assembly rejected it observing that Bharat is a dharma-centric country and there has been no conflict, similar to what was witnessed in Europe, Ravi had claimed.
