2 Assam Cops Booked After 3 Women Allege Torture, Assault Inside Police Station, One Suffers Miscarriage

A case has been filed against two officials of the Assam Police on Tuesday for allegedly torturing, stripping and assaulting a pregnant woman along with her two sisters inside a police station in Assam’s Darrang district.

The women were picked up from their home in Guwahati in connection with a kidnapping case involving their brother who eloped with a woman earlier this month and were brought to Burha police outpost at Mangaldoi on September 9. According to reports, the man and the woman belong to different religions.

The women alleged that they were brutally assaulted and tortured by the in-charge of the police outpost, Mahendra Sharma, and incurred severe injuries. The woman who claimed she was two months pregnant reportedly suffered a miscarriage because of the assault.

According to a Hindustan Times report, a criminal case has been registered under relevant sections against the in-charge and the woman constable named in the compliant and both of them have been suspended.

One of the three sisters, a 28-year-old housewife had complained to Amrit Bhuyan, Superintendent of Police, Darrang, on September 10 that she, her husband and her two siblings were stripped naked, beaten up by two police officials - Sharma and a woman constable Binita Boro.

“They locked up my husband. First, they stripped my youngest sister naked and hit her with a baton. She is partially disabled in her left leg. They hit her on the same leg,” the complainant was quoted as saying.

The police took action after the sisters on Tuesday told the media about the torture and alleged that nothing had been done for eight days on their complaint against the police personnel involved in the assault.

The two police personnel have been namely booked for assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, wrongful confinement and assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe her, the report said.

The police chief also said that deputy inspector general of police B Singha has been asked to inquire into the incident and submit a report within seven days.

The pregnant woman, who is the eldest sister, said that she kept telling the policeman that she’s expecting. “But they hit me on the stomach. I had a miscarriage." Police, however, claimed that they were not aware if she was pregnant since it was not mentioned in the complaint.

All the three sisters have dark red patches on their bodies which they claim are wounds inflicted by the cops.