Asian Centre for Human Rights

Subject: Complaint against the barbaric rape and torture of a Reang tribal girl by three Special Police Officers of State Government of Tripura on 26 May 2003 near Manoranjan Das para camp at remote Gandacherra subdivision under Dalai district, Tripura;

Dear Justice Anand,

I am writing to seek intervention of the National Human Rights Commission against the barbaric rape and inhumane torture of a tribal girl (name withheld) by three Special Police Officers of State Government of Tripura on 26 May 2003 near Manoranjan Das para camp at remote Gandacherra subdivision under Dalai district, Tripura.

On 26 May 2003, a group of three SPO jawans Sudhir Mullick, Sudip Saha and Surjya Das had been on duty in the Manoranjan Das para camp in the morning. They came across a young Reang tribal woman heading for a paddy field below the camp and made advances towards her with an indecent proposal. Stunned by the audacious approaches the girl rejected them summarily and kept on working in the field alone all through the day.

When the girl was on her way back home at 4 pm in the afternoon, the trio waylaid and gang-raped her in the jungle near the road. Incensed by the girl's resistance the three culprits pushed a cane up her sex organ. As a result, the girl fainted and started bleeding profusely. Finally other members of the SPO camp reached the spot coming out in search of their missing colleagues and took the girl home.

Sources from Gandacherra said that the victim girl's family filed a complaint with the Gandacherra police station naming the three guilty SPOs. The officers in the police station ´detained´ the trio but did not record the complaint in the register of the police station. The victim girl had to be rushed to G.B.hospital in the capital Agartala in a critical condition. The injured girl is presently struggling for life in the G.B.hospital, Agartala.

It has been learnt that a group of local political leaders have however become active to save the three SPOs, threatening the victim girl's family with social boycott unless they withdraw the case.

Honourable Chairman, such barbaric violence against women by the law enforcement personnel is unacceptable under any circumstances. The credibility of institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission depends on its ability to take firm actions to uphold the rule of law in such matters.

I therefore fervently request you to kindly intervene against such grotesque torture by the Special Police Officers by taking the following measures:

1. Direct the State Government of Tripura to submit all medical reports pertaining to the treatment of the rape victim to the NHRC;

2. Direct the State Government of Tripura to register the FIRs against three SPOs namely Sudhir Mullick, Sudip Saha and Surjya Das and arrest them;

3. Direct the State Government of Tripura to suspend the Officer-in-Charge of Gandhacherra Police Station with immediate effect for the failure to register the FIR against the SPOs and inform the NHRC on this specific issue;

4. Direct the State Government of Tripura to take all necessary measures to prosecute the culprits and submit quarterly periodic reports to the NHRC about the progress of the case;

5. Direct the State Government of Tripura to provide free legal aid services to the victim;

6. Direct the State Government of Tripura to pay exemplary compensation of Rs 10,00,000 (ten lakhs) to the victim and her family and the same be recovered from the guilty SPOs; and

7. Take any other measures that the NHRC deems fit

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely

Suhas Chakma
Director