INDIA: Police Torture and Retaliation

Salem-News.com Eye on the World Report.

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(SAYDABAD, Bangladesh) - An Indian citizen named Abdul Karim Molla, son of Mr. Yunus Molla, made the 'criminal' mistake of bribing a soldier so he could smuggle two pieces of leather across the Pakistan border. An officer unexpectedly arrived when the soldier was preparing to let Karim cross the border. Unaware of what he should do, the soldier began beating Karim. This incident led to an illegal police invasion of Karim's home and an assault against his father, Yunus Molla, that was so viscous in nature, that he fled his home in fear.

Our goal with Eye on the World is to illustrate and highlight politically oriented problems and tragedies that traditional media channels don't have time or interest in covering.

The world has its own set of laws that were agreed upon by the ruling nations in 1948, and many people are not aware of this simple fact. At the root of the concept of world citizenry itself, is the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an overriding and supreme law that ensures many essential human rights that governments today fail to observe. Also central to any hope of human success, is the understanding of the human hierarchy of needs, as defined by Abraham Maslow- more information on this at the conclusion of this entry. We must use the Internet as a tool of justice at every junction, and we need to assist all human beings, everywhere, and not allow cultural, racial or religious preferences as determiners.

In this appeal, William Gomes asks Ms. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister for the Government of West Bengal in India, to see than a judicial magistrate investigates the torture complaints; for the suspension of the involved officers; he asks Ms. Mamata Banerjee to ensure that medical care for the victim and protection for the family; and asks that the entire investigation be supervised by a judicial officer, while the victim or a family member is informed of the progress in the investigation.

February 23, 2012
Ms. Mamata Banerjee
Chief Minister
Government of West Bengal
Writers’ Building, Kolkata, West Bengal
INDIA
Fax: + 91 33 22144328
Email: cm_wb@nic.in

Re: INDIA: A person tortured by the BSF again along the Indo-Bangladesh border

Dear Chief Minister of West Bengal,

Name of victims:

1. Mr. Abdul Karim Molla, aged about 23 years, son of Mr. Yunus Molla, Dahakanda village, Hakimpur post, under the jurisdiction of Swarupnagar Police Station, 24 North Parganas district, West Bengal
2. Mr. Mr. Yunus Molla, Karim’s father
Names of alleged perpetrators:
BSF Officers stationed along the Indo-Bangladesh border from ‘E’ Company, formerly led by Mr. Mr. Akbar Khan
Date of incident: 11 February 2012 and continuously thereon
Place of incident: Dahakanda village, 24 North Parganas district

I am writing to express my concern regarding yet another case of police torture reported to me from West Bengal. In this case too the suspects are from the BSF.

I am informed that the first incident in the sequel of physical torture and intimidation took place on 11 February 2012, just before the dates of a human rights sensitisation organised by the National Human Rights Commission was scheduled in West Bengal.

According to MASUM’s fact-finding report, on 11 February at about 7.10 am, the victim in the case, Mr. Abdul Karim Molla, son of Mr. Yunus Molla, was planning to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border near Bithari border outpost, to smuggle out two pieces of leather. Karim had made a deal with one Mr. Brijesh, a staff driver of ‘G’ branch of ‘E’ Company of 152 Battalion of the BSF for this after bribing Brijesh. While Karim was all prepared to go across the border with the leather, Mr. Akbar Khan, the then Company Commander of the ‘E’ Company arrived at the spot.

The officer’s visit was unscheduled and unannounced. Fearing action from the officer, to save himself, Brijesh started assaulting Karim with a bamboo pole. The inhumane assault happened in the presence of officer Akbar Khan. Brijesh verbally abused Karim while assaulting him, using the filthiest of words that could not be reproduced. Karim sustained cut and bruises all over his body and could not move due to severe pain from the torture.

I am informed that on the next day at about 11.30 pm, a group of BSF officers from the ‘E’ Company, forced into Karim’s house allegedly to search him. Karim’s parents were at home at the time. The officers threatened the family with dire consequences while enquiring about Karim. Though Karim was at home he escaped detection and arrest. On the next day Karim’s father Mr. Yunus Molla filed a written complaint about both incidents at the Swarupnagar Police Station and informed the same to MASUM.

The police registered the complaint as General Dairy Entry number 647/12 dated 14 February 2012. This apparently has infuriated the BSF officers. They continuously tried to threaten the family to withdraw the complaint for which the officials from the local panchayat helped the BSF.

On 22 February at about 8.10 pm, while Yunus Molla was returning home from his shop the BSF officers numbering 15 to 20 stopped him. The incumbent Company Commander of the ‘E’ Company led the officers. The officer held Yunus by his neck and started pushing him around. He threatened that Yunus should withdraw the complaint by 9 am on 23 February 2012 or else that they would make his life a hell. Yunus was so terrified and shocked that he left his home and is now hiding at other places. The incident happened in front of the residence of one Majid Master, who stays in the village where Karim lives.

I therefore request you:

1. That a judicial magistrate in this case investigates the complaints of torture;
2. That the statements of the victims recorded immediately by the judicial officer;
3. The alleged BSF officers placed on immediate suspension;
4. The victim should be produced before appropriate medical officer for treatment;
5. The victim and the witnesses be provided adequate protection immediately;
6. The entire investigation supervised by a judicial officer and the victim or a member of their family is informed about the progress of the investigation.

Yours sincerely,

William Nicholas Gomes
William’s Desk

williamgomes.org

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

As children we are educated in right and wrong, we are told how to conduct ourselves; we learn both expectations and limitations, and from that point we go forth with these tools, and our individual personalities, and fail or succeed accordingly.

In school we quickly understand that without paper, there is no place to write. Once we have paper, a pen or pencil is required to move to the next point. There is a great analogy that exists between this simple concept of paper and pen, and what we know today as Maslow's hierarchy of needs- the theory in psychology proposed in Abraham Maslow's 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation.

He demonstrated how without the correct necessities, a person can do little good for themselves, and has none to offer for others. However when people are housed and have clothing, heat, food, health and security, anything is possible. However if just one of these dynamics is removed from the mix, the chance for success can be adversely affected.

Wikipedia describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a pyramid consisting of five levels:

The lowest level is associated with physiological needs, while the uppermost level is associated with self-actualization needs, particularly those related to identity and purpose.

The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are met. Once an individual has moved upwards to the next level, needs in the lower level will no longer be prioritized. If a lower set of needs is no longer be met, the individual will temporarily re-prioritize those needs by focusing attention on the unfulfilled needs, but will not permanently regress to the lower level.

For instance, a businessman at the esteem level who is diagnosed with cancer will spend a great deal of time concentrating on his health (physiological needs), but will continue to value his work performance (esteem needs) and will likely return to work during periods of remission.

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Special thanks to William's Desk

williamgomes.org