The West Bengal government Tuesday said it will ask the CID to probe the alleged torture of a woman by police in Birbhum district, even as a police sub-inspector was suspended and departmental probe initiated against two constables.
A homemaker in Birbhum was allegedly slashed with blades all over her body and nettle leaves rubbed in her private parts.
Appearing before the Calcutta High Court bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi, which has taken suo motu cognizance of the matter, State Additional Advocate General Lakshmi Gupta informed it that the government has decided to hand over the probe to the the Criminal Investigation Department.
The woman, who is recuperating in a hospital, alleged that a police team accompanied by local Trinamool Congress leaders Saturday forcibly took her away to a jungle and tortured her to extract information about her nephew, a local BJP leader wanted over his involvement in clashes in Parui in Birbhum district.
The woman, through her counsel Phiroze Edulji, informed the court that it was a case of gang rape as the police personnel had rubbed and inserted nettle leaves in her private parts.
"According to the amended law, inserting anything in the private parts tantamount to rape and since more than one man was involved, it's gang rape.
"Hearing our plea, the bench directed us to move a separate petition both for the charges of gang rape as well as police inaction in the matter," said Edulji.
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Birbhum Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria said sub-inspector Kartik Mohan Ghosh has been suspended and departmental proceedings have been initiated against two constables for their involvement in the incident.
Condemning the "barbaric incident", the BJP had Monday approached Governor K.N. Tripathi seeking his intervention while the Communist Party of India-Marxist had approached the Calcutta High Court with a plea to take suo motu cognizance.