Protest held in front of Lake Police Station against abuse of health workers

[Guest guest]

Over 150 broad human rights organisations / activists / representatives gather

to protest threat, abuse and physical manhandling of health workers & human

rights activists inside Lake Police Station, Calcutta

A Report on the Protest Demonstration (written by Pratyay Gender Trust,

Calcutta)

In what happened to be one of those really spirited moments that mark movements

for human rights, over 150 activists, health workers and concerned individuals

gathered in front of the Lake Police Station on Dec 9, 2005, eve of

International Human Rights Day, demonstrating to protest the highhanded and

shocking treatment of health and human rights workers inside the police station.

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).

On December 5, 2005 late evening three health workers were outside Rabindra

Sarovar, near Calcutta Rowing Club, putting up HIV/AIDS posters near the

Calcutta Rowing Club, when they were attacked by two unidentified youths who

also beat them up. Help was sought by the latter from the policemen on duty

later the Lake Police Station for help and lodging a complaint against the youth

who were apprehended. By then, three other members of Pratyay also reached the

Lake Police Station to support their colleagues and lodge a complaint against

the incident.

At the police station, the police refused to lodge a complaint against the

unidentified youths. The health workers were in addition falsely accused of

participating in violence, when in reality they were the ones to be beaten up.

All six Pratyay members were physically pushed and shoved inside the inner room

of the Police Station. When they tried to reach out to friends and colleagues

for help in such a hostile scenario, the police officers snatched off their

mobile phones forcibly, physically manhandled them – twisting their necks, arms,

and tearing one of their shirts. Throughout the period, the police on duty at

the Lake Police Station threatened and abused them using words with strong and

brutal sexual content and extreme derogation with the Officer-in-Charge, Mr.

Sukumar Chakrabarti present in the police station.

The demonstrators, shouting slogans, submitted a letter of protest and

condemnation to the Officer-in-Charge. When a group of seven representatives

went inside the Police Station, the Officer-in-Charge initially refused to

appear and accept the letter of protest. Predictably, all charges of harassment

and abuse were initially denied; it was found that the police did not lodge the

complaints of the six health workers/ activists – they failed to show the diary

in which they were initially claiming that complaints were registered. After an

almost hour long meeting, the Officer-in-Charge admitted and apologised for the

harassment and abuse inside the police station. He further assured the

delegation of providing protection in their work.

The next course of events, as the delegation was coming out of the OC’s room

shocked and revealed the attitude and most importantly, the kind of harassment

faced by the health workers and activists on December 5. Two police officers

made a sexually derogatory remark aimed at the demonstrators within the police

station premises!!

Considering that the demonstrators came to protest against exactly this kind

of harassment, abuse and threat the OC’s commitment given only a while ago rang

false in the context of his officer’s behaviour. A second letter of protest was

lodged with the police for this incident.

Concerned individuals, organisations and activists working on a broad range of

human rights extended strong support to the protest demonstration. Earlier, some

of them also signed on letters of appeals made to the Chief Minister, Home

Secretary, Government of West Bengal and Police Commissioner, Kolkata Police in

addition to the Chairperson, West Bengal Human Rights Commission, urging them to

initiate necessary action.