Looking beyond Burha OP

The alleged torture of three women in the Burha Police Outpost in Darrang district, not very far from the State capital, has come as a big blot on the Assam Police which had in the recent times handled several very critical cases including the Karbi Anglomg lynching incident in a highly professional manner. According to reports, the officer-in-charge of Burha Police Outpost had not only physically assaulted three women – all accused in a serious case of abduction of a girl and allegedly forcing her to marry a their brother, a married person of another faith – but had also allegedly stripped them inside the outpost. One of the three women was apparently pregnant, with reports saying she had lost her baby after she was allegedly kicked in her belly. This is the first time such an incident has occurred inside a police station in Assam in recent memory, and the Burha Police Outpost police officer must be given the stringent of punishment under the law for committing such a grave crime. It amounts to gross violation of human rights, more particularly rights of women. While this particular incident came to light for some reason or the other, no one can say for sure that such atrocities have not been going in police stations across the State in recent times.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had only a couple of weeks ago showered praise on the Assam Police for having carried out swift investigation into several critical cases, as also for handling the situation in the post-NRC weeks. Assam anyway has had a bad name nationwide for being at the top of all the States and Union Territories by way of registering the highest number of crimes against women in the past few years. But then, the story of Burha Police Outpost does not begin and end with the alleged torture of the three women. There is, in fact, more to it than has been sought to be projected, especially by a section of people and a section of the media especially outside the State. The torture – highly condemnable – is definitely only one side of the story. There have been reports that the three women were involved in an alleged incident of abduction of a girl, and in her forcible marriage to a person who is not only married but also has a family. Additionally, the man who had allegedly abducted and married the girl was from a different faith, but had reportedly concealed his actual identity – including name and religion – to woo the girl. This part of the story which led to the arrest of three women who were allegedly tortured, must be treated as equally important. The larger picture of the trend of new types of crimes in Assam will otherwise remain in the dark. The Assam Police Director General, being also a social scientist of repute, is the best person to throw light on this new kind of crimes increasingly taking place in the State where men of a particular religion – in many cases married men – have been concealing their actual identity including name and religion, and have been luring young girls of another faith, abducting them and forcing them into marriage. As in the instant case, other family members of such men are also often part of the crime by way of aiding and abetting the culprits. While such crimes have been happening more in areas where the immigrant population is growing at a fast rate, the police should also have reports of forcible occupation and/or sale of land belonging to indigenous communities by the immigrants. It is common knowledge that many families belonging to indigenous communities have preferred to remain silent even after their daughters have fallen into such traps, in order to avoid social embarrassment, and have cut off relation with such daughters. The issue is very serious, and should be seen beyond the alleged incident of torture.

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