The West Bengal Police have booked Amit Malviya, BJP IT cell chief and co-observer for Bengal, and CPIM state secretary Mohammed Selim for circulating the video of public flogging of a woman by a Trinamool Congress strongman in Chopra in North Dinajpur district.
Bengal Police officials said that a First Information Report (FIR) was filed based on a complaint from the woman victim. She stated that a video was taken and circulated without her permission or knowledge, causing her defamation and grief. She urged the police to take action against Selim and Malviya for her defamation.
On June 28, a man and a woman were flogged in a kangaroo court at Chopra in the Uttar Dinajpur district over their alleged extramarital relationship. Tajemul Islam, identified as the one who was mercilessly whipping the duo after they were dragged into the kangaroo court, is a Trinamool Congress local functionary known as “JCB”. Local Trinamool Congress MLA Hamidur Rahman had defended the act of Tajemul, his close associate, and had said: “Such things happen in Muslim Rashtra where Sharia Law is applied.”
The video of the incident, recorded by a local youth, had gone viral and was shared on the social media handles of Malviya and Selim on June 30.
Subsequent to public outrage following the video going viral, the police registered a case on their own and arrested the main accused, Islam, along with three others. They invoked attempt to murder and molestation charges against the accused.
The complaint letter of the victim was written in Bengali and it said: “My video has gone viral on social media. I have been defamed due to this. Therefore, it has become difficult for me to stay in society.” Naming Selim and Malviya in her complaint, she said, “I want proper legal action against those who are guilty of sharing my video without my permission. My video should be deleted immediately.” According to the FIR, a case has been filed under section Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 79 (insult to modesty of woman), 294 (obscenity), 356 (2) (defamation) and IT Act sections 66A (sending offensive messages through computer or other communication devices) 66E (capturing image of a person’s private area without consent), 67A (publishing material that contains sexually explicit acts or conduct in electronic form).
Reacting to the development, Selim said: “This kind of oppression is common in the region where the TMC tries to silence any opposition to maintain control. Similar incidents have occurred in Sandeshkhali, Diamond Harbour, Falta, and other places. A young person who filmed the incident had his home ransacked and was forced to flee. The ruling party is attempting to intimidate those who are speaking out against these injustices. However, they fail to realise that their actions cannot stop the protest.”
In a post on X, Salim called the FIR against him a “fake case against voice of protest which would not be intimidated”.
Amit Malviya also wrote about the matter in his X handle.
“From #Sandeshkhali to Chopra, nothing has changed. Mamata Banerjee continues to use victims of rape, sexual assault and now public flogging to protect criminals like Sheikh Shahjahan and Tajemul Islam (alias JCB), and to target political opponents.
“Latest in the series is Meherun Nesha, the woman who was flogged in full public view. Local Trinamool MLA had defended the act of his close associate. She has now, purportedly, filed a complaint against CPI(M) leader Md Selim and me for the horrific video going viral. I can speak for myself. The video was all over Bengal media and several users had picked it up, even before it reached Delhi. It is unlikely that the woman has done so on her own accord because she is obviously oblivious of facts. She has been made to file this complaint because she has to live in TMC-infested Chopra and Mamata Banerjee’s priority is not justice for Meherun Nesha but fixing political adversaries. But she won’t succeed,” he wrote.