3 held for assaulting and beating up woman in public

Arrested Trio

HT, 6 Dec 2015, Kolkata: Malda police on Friday night arrested three persons for thrashing a 34- year- old woman at Battali village under Englishbazar police station after tying her to a tree. A Malda court on Saturday remanded the arrested in judicial custody for 14 days. However, till reports last came in, the village headmen and other accused in the case are on the run.

Sources in the police said the arrested persons have been identified as Raju Sheikh (48), Ketabul Sheikh (33) and Jiyaul Sheikh (32). They were reportedly among those who dragged the victim out of her brother’s house and supplied the rope that was used to tie her to a tree. All three are residents of Battali village, where the woman’s paternal home is located. She had gone there to attend her brother’s marriage.

On Friday night, the police raided the houses of the arrested and picked them up. Earlier, on Friday morning, the Englishbazar police rushed the woman to Malda Medical College and Hospital for treatment. But after preliminary treatment she refused to return to the village. She spent the night at the police station instead. On Saturday, Malda police sent her to her home in Milki village.

Sources add that the victim isn’t ready to forgive the accused at any cost. When contacted, she said she wants stern punishment for all those who humiliated her and beat her up so that there is no repeat of this incident.

It may be recalled that on Friday morning, some village headmen and youths tied the woman to a tree and thrashed her over an old police case. A kangaroo court also fined her Rs 50,000 for not attending court on Thursday night. Later, Englishbazar police rescued the woman after coming to know what had happened. The victim lodged a complaint against 10 persons for torturing her.

Malda superintendent of Prasun Banerjee said, “We have already arrested three persons in this case. Raids are on to nab the other accused.”

EOI, Malda, 5 Dec 2015: Police arrested three persons in connection with the assault of a housewife following the verdict of a kangaroo court at Bottoli village in English Bazaar police station on Friday. However, the other accused including the chief organizer of the kangaroo court are still at large.

Police produced the trio - Ziaul Sheikh, 32, Ketabul Sheikh, 43 and Raju Sheikh, 48 in court today after arresting them last night. The magistrate sent them to jail custody for 14 days as learnt from sources. SP Prasun Banerjee said that after the housewife AjedaBibi lodged a police complaint, police acted promptly and arrested three of the accused by holding raids at the village where the incident took place. “The three persons who were arrested last night played active role to tie up the woman to a tree according to the illegal kangaroo court’s verdict,” Banerjee added. He assured that the other accused would soon be arrested too.

It may be mentioned that a kangaroo court was organized at the village after the housewife refused to withdraw an old case against few influential locals who had allegedly blocked the road to her hather’s house by dumping construction materials.

When the woman, who now lives with her husband and in-laws at Milki village, went to her father’s house on Wednesday to attend a wedding, she was allegedly pressurized by those locals to withdraw the case. As she refuted their whims, a kangaroo court was held on Thursday and the housewife was summoned. She, however, did not turn up there.

On Friday morning the housewife was tied to a tree and assaulted. She was later recovered by police and admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH). The housewife lodged a police complaint against ten persons.

Meanwhile, It is learnt from sources that after AjedaBibi was released from MMCH, she refused to return home anticipating she might be attacked again. She spent the entire night in police station. Police sent her to her husband living at Milki this morning.