NHRC notice to Assam govt, police chief over 'torture' of three sisters

The NHRC on Wednesday issued notices to the Assam government and the DGP over reports of a woman and her two sisters being allegedly stripped and tortured inside a police station in Darrang district.

Reportedly, the incident happened while they were being interrogated by the police in connection with a case of their brother, who had, allegedly, eloped with the girl of a different religion, the rights panels said.

"The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that a woman and her two sisters were allegedly stripped and tortured inside a police station in Darrang district of Assam," the NHRC said in a statement.

It is mentioned in the news report that one of the women was two months pregnant, and due to injuries, she allegedly sustained at the police station, the pregnancy had to be "terminated", the statement said.

The commission has observed that the content of media reports, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights.

Accordingly, notices have been issued to the chief secretary and the DGP of Assam seeking a detailed report in the matter within four weeks, including medical treatment record of the victim and present status of her health condition, the NHRC said.

The report must tell whether prior permission of the judicial magistrate was taken by the police team to arrest the three women during the night of September 8, the NHRC statement said.

The commission said it would also like to know "whether any steps have been taken by state authorities to provide any kind of relief and counselling to the victims".

The NHRC has also observed that apparently, as reported in the media, the police authorities have allegedly violated Section 46 (4) of the CrPC by picking up those women after sunset.

"The brother of the victims is reportedly wanted in a criminal case and not the victims. The police authorities had taken the victims in their custody, in an illegal manner. The reported medical condition of one of the sisters is indicative of the fact that they were tortured by the police," the statement said.

According to the media reports, carried on Wednesday, the incident occurred on September 8 and it came to light on September 10, when the victims, after failing to get any response from the police authorities, decided to approach the media, the rights panel said.

One of the sisters lodged the complaint with the Superintendent of Police, Darrang, on September 10, alleging that she, along with her sisters was picked up from their residence by the officer in-charge of Burha police outpost, on the night of September 8 and they were "tortured inside the police station", the NHRC said quoting the reports.

"Two policemen and a woman constable were reportedly involved in torturing them throughout the night asking the whereabouts of their brother. Later, one of the sisters, who was pregnant, was hospitalised and the doctors told her that her pregnancy is to be terminated," the statement said.

As mentioned in the news report, a sub-inspector and a woman constable who were accused to have been involved in the alleged stripping and torturing of the three sisters, have been placed under suspension and a DIG-rank officer has been assigned the task of supervising the investigation, it said.