Women tortured and humiliated by land grabbers

Intimidation through violence to grab the land of the helpless is an age-old practice in our country where those with influence and power often go scot free for their crimes. But the two news stories on the same day, of two middle-aged women, one a divorcee another a widow, being beaten and disrobed in a bid to grab their land, displays the helplessness of the marginalised. We are appalled at such barbarity and vehemently protest the humiliation and injustice inflicted on these women, both of whom risk losing their land.

In the Thakurgaon case, a ruling party activist and UP member, along with their goons, tortured a divorcee and her neighbor, a co-owner of the land, demanding money as well as handover of the land. According to the victim, when she went to the chairman for help he instructed his men to beat her further. In the other case in Patukhali, a widow who lived with her son, was subject to ruthless beating when she protested land grabbers led by an influential lord, building a house on her land.

It is reassuring that the local police have arrested the party activist and UP member in the Thakurgaon case while in the second case law enforcers have said they will arrest the accused. But from our experience we have seen how the power of influence gives impunity to many delinquents in society and leaves the poor and helpless with nothing except fear and the memory of their torture. We hope that in these two cases in which two helpless women have been publicly humiliated, tortured and may lose their land, the law will work towards providing them justice and punishing the criminals regardless of their affiliation.