Tripura Governor Padmanabha Balkrishna Acharya today expressed concern over the assault on a woman of Schedule Caste community and directed the police to take appropriate action while criticising its role in the case saying police should shed the legacy of colonial era.
"Seeing a media report that a woman was beaten mercilessly in open at Chandrapur here, I asked the victim and IG (Law and Order), Anurag Dhyankar, to come to Raj Bhavan. I heard from the woman in presence of the IG and directed him to take proper action against the perpetrators," Governor told reporters in the Raj Bhavan.
"Even her foot was fractured, but police did not take any action. The police should change itself and should not follow the legacy of colonial British rule. The police should be the friend of people, who should not be afraid of police or suppressed by the police," Governor told a press conference.
Acharya said that he has also asked the Chairperson of the Tripura Women's Commission (TWC) to be more active in case of torture against women.
"Chairperson of TWC, Purnima Roy, met me yesterday and I asked her about the case. May be police is under pressure, but you (Roy) should have acted promptly," he said.
When contacted, IG (Police Control), Nepal Das, said, "On the day of Dashami of Durga Puja (October 4) there was an altercation of the woman with some youths of Chandrapur in East Kotowali police station here over forcing her husband to drink liquor. The youths allegedly assaulted her and tried to molest her."
"Next day, when she was going to the police station to file complaint, many women and youth gathered there and started beating her publicly. After the incident, the police received a complaint from the oppressed woman. But the accused was granted anticipatory bail from a local court," Das said.
He said, after preliminary investigation, police made an application to the court for inclusion of some non-bailable sections and the case is now pending in the court.
"Since the accused got anticipatory bail, the police could not do anything and if the new sections are added, then police will take action," Das said.
