Health and Human Rights Workers to Hold Protest Demonstration in Front of Lake Police Station, December 9, 2005, 5 pm (Posted on behalf of MANAS Bangla)

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PRESS RELEASE

Health Workers & Human Rights Activists Threatened, Abused & Physically

Manhandled at Lake Police Station

Protest Demonstration in Front of Lake Police Station

On December 9, 2005, at 5 p.m.

Six health workers & human rights activists working on issues of sexualities,

human rights and sexual health were threatened, abused and physically manhandled

by police officers on duty inside the Lake Police Station on December 5, 2005 at

about 9 pm. The health workers & human rights activists are members of The

Pratyay Gender Trust, a registered NGO and member organisation of MANAS Bangla,

one of the largest statewide networks of HIV/AIDS service providers supported by

the West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society and National AIDS

Control Organization (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare).

The workers were on their daily duty putting up HIV/AIDS posters near the

Calcutta Rowing Club, when they were teased, physically harassed and then beaten

up by two unidentified youths around 8 pm. The workers approached the police on

duty and later the Lake Police Station for help. By then, three other members of

Pratyay also reached the Lake Police Station to support their colleagues and

lodge a complaint against the incident. But the police refused to lodge a

complaint. Instead, on coming to know that the complainants worked on

marginalised sexuality issues, the police started using slang and abused the

workers. All Pratyay members were physically pushed and shoved inside the inner

room of the Police Station. When the workers tried to reach out to friends and

colleagues for help, their mobile phones were forcibly snatched off.

The policemen physically manhandled the Pratyay members – twisting their necks,

arms, and tearing one of the member’s shirts.

Throughout the period, the police on duty at the Lake Police Station threatened

and abused them in filthy language, with the Officer-in-Charge, Mr. Sukumar

Chakrabarti taking no action to stop the harassment.

A demonstration will be organized by a wide spectrum of health and human rights

workers in front of Lake Police Station on December 9 at 5 pm to protest this

highhanded and shocking treatment of health and human rights workers. A letter

of protest will be handed over to the Lake Police Station.

We also bring to your attention that this was not the only such incident.

Similar treatments at the hands of police have been experienced by other member

groups of MANAS Bangla & its health workers earlier as well, making it

increasingly difficult to carry out HIV/AIDS awareness generation work among

marginalized communities at a time when HIV prevalence in the state is

continually rising.

An appeal has been made to Sri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Hon’ble Chief Minister,

Government of West Bengal; Justice (Retd.) Sri Shyamal Sen, Chairperson, West

Bengal Human Rights Commission; and the Police Commissioner, Lalbazaar.

CONTACT:

MANAS Bangla Project Office: 167, Rajdanga Main Road, Thakurtala, Gold Park,

Kolkata 700 078 E-mail: manasbangla@...

Phones: 3959 7814; 98310 31674; 94330 09190

Pawan Dhall

E-mail: <pawan30@...>