india

Updated: Sep 20, 2019 22:39 IST

Assam police officials said on Friday that a case has been registered against several policemen accused of conducting post-midnight raid on two houses in Barpeta district and assaulting the house members.

The raids were allegedly conducted on houses belonging to relatives of a man accused of kidnapping a minor. The policemen allegedly assaulted the family members including a pregnant woman who reportedly suffered a miscarriage.

“We have registered a case against Assistant Sub Inspector Binod Choudhury and other policemen who were with him based on a complaint of assault that we received on Friday,” said Robin Kumar, SP, Barpeta.

According to Rohis Ali (32) a driver in Barpeta Road around 12-13 policemen from neighbouring Chirang district came to his house at 12.20 am on September 18.

According to Ali, the police did not knock on the door and forcibly entered. “I was not too well. They beat us with a baton. They beat my wife Sufia Khatoon. She was two months pregnant. She had a miscarriage. I saw she bled after she was hit,” Ali said.

Ali said the police, who had come looking for his younger brother Shahidul Ali, subsequently visited the house of his two brothers in a neighbouring village and assaulted their families too.

“They assaulted everyone including three women,” Ali said adding that the policemen belonged to Koila Moila outpost of Chirang district and were led by one Binod Choudhury, an assistant sub-inspector. Ali said he has given a complaint to Barpeta Police on late Friday evening.

Sudhakar Singh, Superintendent of Police Chirang said police received a complaint on September 15 that a 15-year-old has been kidnapped. Two days later they got information that she may have been taken to Barpeta Road. ”With the help of Barpeta Road police, the team raided two houses sometime in the evening or night. They did not find the accused person or minor who was kidnapped. The next day, Barpeta road police informed that the minor who was kidnapped has come to the police station,” Singh said rubbishing allegations of assault. “Why did they complain after two days,” he said.

Singh said Shahidul Ali, the man accused of kidnapping the 15-year-old is still absconding.

Ali conceded that his brother is evading the police but claimed that Shahidul had an affair with the girl and she was 19-year-old. He also claimed that she came to Barpeta road on her own.

Robin Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Barpeta said, he, too, has asked the Additional Superintendent of Police to carry out a thorough probe.

The incident comes after an incident earlier this week where Assam Police suspended and booked two of its personnel acting on a complaint that they allegedly stripped and assaulted three sisters including one who was pregnant inside a police outpost in Darrang district. The police had coming looking for their brother who was accused of kidnapping a girl from another community based on a complaint from her family.