Gede/Kolkata, Feb 21: An Inspector attached to the BSF’s 54-Battalion deployed in Nadia’s Krishnaganj has been accused of raping an on-duty lady constable outside a border outpost in Tungi village close to Indo-Bangladesh on Saturday night.
This is the first occasion a lady personnel has been raped by her superior officer in the force since the induction of women commandos that began in 2018.
The bizarre incident that embarrassed the BSF authorities came to light on Tuesday morning only when the victim, under treatment in SSKM hospital, visited Bhawanipur police station in Kolkata and lodged a ‘zero FIR’ against the perpetrator – Inspector Kitab Singh.
(A ‘Zero FIR’ can be filed at any police station regardless occurrence of the offence under the jurisdiction of that particular police station. Such FIR is assigned ‘Zero’ as the registration number and transferred to the concerned police station for investigation.)
Acknowledging the veracity of the incident, BSF authorities claimed that the accused inspector has already been suspended and a departmental probe has been initiated against him.
“This is the most unfortunate incident…and we have zero tolerance policy towards such allegations”, a senior BSF official at the South Bengal Frontier Headquarters in Kolkata said, while refusing to reveal details of the incident including the identity of the accused officer.
Amerish K Arya, BSF’s DIG (South Bengal Frontier) told The NfN, “A high power committee has been investigating the case. Strict action will be taken against such offence so that no such incident occurs further”.
Sources said that during the later hours of October 18, the Inspector who is posted at the Tungi border outpost summoned the lady constable in connection with some urgent ‘work’ and raped her.
BSF sources said that the victim woman did not reveal anything to her colleagues on the said night. On the next morning (February 19) she broke down before a senior officer during his inspection at the outpost.
The officer immediately appraised the higher authorities about the alleged incident. The accused officer was immediately detained for interrogation. A high-power inquiry committee was also set up to probe the allegation. The victim woman was taken to BSF’s hospital in Kolkata for a medical examination. However, since the BSF hospital in New Town does not have the required infrastructure to conduct the medical test of a rape victim, doctors sent her to the SSKM Hospital.
On Tuesday the BSF authorities took the woman to the SSKM Hospital. But, the hospital authorities advised her to lodge a police complaint first as per the protocol. The victim then visited the Bhawanipore police station, where she lodged a complaint against inspector Kitab Singh.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking at a public meeting in Siliguri flayed BSF authorities over the alleged incident. “I have come to know that a lady constable of BSF has been raped by an officer…a few days ago a Rajbanshi brother was fired 180 rounds of pellets to kill…I have never seen such a post-mortem report…… BSF should act within a legal frame…They have not been provided free right to fire at the site on the border…” she said.