Panels visit digs up more parade cases

The visit by state women commissions team to Birbhum in the wake of reports of a tribal girl being molested and paraded naked has brought to light two more such incidents.

Two tribal women,who work at local stone crushing units and live at Nimpaharai village under Muhammad Bazar police station,met the visiting team members and told them that they too were stripped in public and assaulted by a group of men after they were talking to their male workers while returning home.

The commission members were also handed over the copies of the FIR.

If similar kind of incidents are time and again repeated,then it cannot be called stray anymore. We will submit our report within a week, said Malini Bhattacharya,Chairperson,West Bengal Commission for Women.

The commission members,who visited Rampurhat where a 14-year old girl was paraded naked by some villagers on April 14,said that they could not take direct action as they can only make recommendations.

Still we are keenly looking into the matter and will visit the place again if required. A thorough sensitisation programme is required in such areas, Bhattacharya added.

The District Magistrate of Birbhum,Soumitra Mohan,however,said that such incidents are not setting any trend. These are crimes,and in the first case six people have been arrested. The other complaint came yesterday only. We are conducting regular raids in the area and wish to catch the culprits soon, Mohan said.

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However,proper awareness programmes are very much required to stop repetition of such incidents, he added.

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