A year on, DFO who assaulted village woman is still scot-free

From Our Correspondent

MANGALDAI, May 8: Are the officials of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) above the law? Is there any special exemption to an officer if a crimil case is registered against him, that too under non-cognizable section of Indian Pel Code? Or is it because the complaint is a very poor aged village woman and hence the police are trying to safeguard to the accused officer?  

According to the allegation mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) lodged in Dalgaon Police Station on April 24 of 2014 at about 7.30 am, octogerian village woman belonging to the religious minority community Khairun Nessa of Rahmanpur on the fringes of Orang tiol Park was trying to take her cow back from the park territory to her house when DFO Sushil Kumar Daila, accompanied by his PSO, reached the spot. The DFO, on noticing the cattle entering the park, started beating up the elderly village woman unexpectedly and caused serious injuries to her. The victim on that day did not inform the matter to the police as all were busy in election duty. The next morning, she tried to lodge the FIR initially at Silbori Police Out Post but on the refusal of the personnel there to receive the FIR, the helpless victim rushed to Dalgaon Police Station and filed the FIR at around 10.30 am, ming the DFO of Mangaldai Wildlife Division Sushil Kumar Daila and three others as accused.

Accordingly the Dalgaon Police registered a case (case No.166/14 under section 341/342/325/427/354/34 of Indian Pel Code) and started investigation. At the initiative of a senior police officer, the statement of the complaint was also recorded before a judicial magistrate, but at the intervention of a section of senior officials of the State government, the police refrained from taking any action against the accused person.

When contacted, the investigation officer concerned informed The Sentinel that the investigation is still going on. But how could the investigation continue for more than a year? If such is the state of affairs, can the common villagers expect any justice from the police?

The incident was reported in The Sentinel on April 26 of 2014.

Will the DGP or the Police Accountability Commission spare a few moments from their busy schedule and look into the case of this helpless village woman?   

DFO Daila has already completed more than five years in Mangaldai Wildlife Division. The government has promoted him as the Conservator of Forest and has asked him to continue functioning as the Divisiol Forest Officer in Mangaldai Wildlife Division.