In a harrowing incident in Assam’s Darrang district, a pregnant Muslim woman and her two sisters were stripped and brutally tortured inside a police station. The pregnant woman lost her baby due to bleeding caused by the beating.

Although this incident took place on September 8, it only came to light on Tuesday, September 17.

The pregnant woman was admitted to a hospital after the alleged torture, where she lost her baby due to miscarriage.

Reports say that the three sisters – Minuwara Begum, Sanuwara and Rumela from Sixmile area in Guwahati – were picked up by Darrang district police on September 8 in connection with a kidnapping case and taken to Burha police outpost.

What Happened?

In a complaint that Minuwara Begum filed with the Darrang district Superintendent of Police on September 10, she alleged that a police team led by the officer-in-charge of Burha police outpost, Mahendra Sarma, picked them up from their homes on the night of September 8. Their case, however, was not registered.

She alleged that they were physically tortured throughout the night by Mahendra Sarma and a lady constable.

“We were brutally beaten up and the police officer also touched our private parts. The police officer threatened us by showing his pistol and warned us from filing any complaint against him,” India Today quoted the woman as saying in her complaint. 

Darrang district Superintendent of Police (SP) Amrit Bhuyan said that a probe has already been initiated into the incident and he had asked a DSP to look into the case.

Narrating the harrowing experience, the woman said, “On September 8 night a police team of Burha police outpost entered our house but we didn’t know why they came. When I asked why they were there, they asked me to not ask any questions. The police officer flashed his pistol at me and my husband said that he will shoot us. They also picked up my elder sister and younger sister.”

She added, “At Burha police outpost, they stripped our clothes and beat us up. They also touched our private parts and beat us with sticks and shoes. They told us to bring our elder brother but we didn’t reveal his location to them.”

She said that despite pleading with the officers repeatedly, they were continued to be tortured. The police officer kicked the pregnant woman and she began bleeding. Her pregnancy was terminated. She was two months pregnant.

“We were also forced to sign our signature in a blank paper at gunpoint,” said one of the sisters.

The Assam State Commission for Women has taken up the matter suo motu, while Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered DIG of Central Western Range, Brajenjit Sinha to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

Amrit Bhuyan, SP of Darrang district said, “We received a complaint on September 11 that the woman was tortured when she was at the Burha police outpost. I already directed our DSP to make an inquiry into the incident. If we find that police used additional forces on the women we will register a criminal case.”

The accused officer-in-charge of Burha police outpost and the lady constable have been suspended by Assam Police. 

Also Read: Madhya Pradesh: Tribal Men Tortured In Police Custody, Forced To Drink Urine