NHRC urged to take up assault case

SHIMLA: Social activist Prajwal Busta, a law student, has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the case pertaining to harassment and humiliation of elderly widow Rajdei of Sarkaghat in Mandi district and demanded a probe into the matter by an officer of IG rank or retired judge.

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 11

Social activist Prajwal Busta, a law student, has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the case pertaining to harassment and humiliation of elderly widow Rajdei of Sarkaghat in Mandi district and demanded a probe into the matter by an officer of IG rank or retired judge.

In her complaint to the commission against the local administration, Busta said the maltreatment meted out to the widow of an ex-serviceman by locals attracted punishment.

The complaint said family members of the pujari of an ancient temple in a village who died three years back, and some other people were scaring the people in the name of the deity.

A few days back, some people made a forced entry to her house in her absence and vandalised it. When she complained to the panchayat, she was threatened in the name of the deity.

Aggrieved by it, the helpless woman went to her daughter’s place to stay and when she came back to her house on November 6, a mob of about 300 people dashed into her house with a procession of the deity, dragged her out and accused her of doing black magic.

When she denied these, her face was blackened, hair cut and was garlanded with shoes. She was taken out and dragged into streets with people raising slogans against her but the police did not act.

Initially, no complaint was entertained by local police officials. It was on November 9 that the police came into action after the video of the incident went viral.

An FIR was registered under Sections 147, 149, 452, 435, 355, 427, IPC, but the culprits were not named and they were keeping on threatening the victim.

“The victim is facing a threat to life but no offence of criminal intimidation under Section 506, IPC, or life threat has been included,” Busta alleged, adding that this was not the first incident in the village. Two other persons, Rajpal and Mohan Singh, were also victimised in the same manner. They were also made to withdraw their complaints and their written complaints were torn in the police station.

The copies of the complaint have also been sent to the National Women’s Commission, New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh State Human Rights Commission and State Women’s Commission.