Victim Arpita (left) accused Sheikh Sameer (right)
Hundreds of cases are being reported about forced religious conversions in the name of marriage every now and then. But how often a case comes to light from a state like Bengal where the minority population is almost thirty per cent of the total and with Mamta Banerjee’s rule, there is absolute hooliganism.
We at Organiser Weekly bring to you a case from the East Midnapore Sistrict of Bengal. A Hindu woman Arpita makes shocking revelations on camera after being rescued from the captivity of Shiekh Sameer who is also a member of TMC (Trinamool Congress, Mamta Banerjee’s party). Even after repeated appeals and complaints by the victim’s family, no case has been registered in the said matter.
The girl has been brought home because of the constant efforts of a local Hindu organisation ‘SinghaBahini’. The organisation is also facing the heat after their actions as the oppressive police administration booked some of their innocent volunteers under false charges.
The victim Arpita Das on camera told Devdutta Maji, president Singha Bahini that she is a victim of forced religious conversion and torture by the active volunteer of TMC. Arpita is married to a Hindu man Subir Das and has a seven-year-old son.
Accused Shiekh Sameer used to work as a labourer at her husband’s workplace who is a marble contractor by profession. Arpita used to visit the work site where Shiekh Sameer clicked some of her pictures without her knowledge.
Arpita recalled, Sameer managed to get her mobile number from Subir’s phone and put Subir’s picture as the display image. One day knowing Subir was out for his work, Sameer messaged Arpita on Whatsapp with her husband’s photo as the profile picture. He said this was his new number and wanted to see Arpita on camera. Later in the day he called her, put his finger on the camera and asked Arpita to do things in front of the camera, like taking off her clothes.
Sameer screen-recorded everything and later started blackmailing her against those videos and pictures. Within days his demands increased and he would ask her to come and meet him. One day he took her to an abandoned place with him where he raped her. He kept the victim in his captivity where he got her converted to Islam, force-fed her beef (cow’s meat) and gave her a copy of the Quran. All the time the victim was there with the accused, he tortured and raped her. He asked her to take off her ‘Shaka–Pola’ (bangles that a Bengali woman compulsorily wears), remove the vermilion and live like a Muslim woman.
He would issue death threats against the victim and her family members this is why she never managed to get out of the place. He said he will chop the victim into pieces if she dared to get out of his place.
The victim heard that Shiekh Sameer with one of his friends was planning to kill two Hindu activists namely two BJP leaders namely Suvendu Adhikari and Devdutta Maji. The perpetrators were also planning to take her to Mumbai where they would sell her off.
Victim’s husband did give the police complaint after his wife was abducted by Shiekh Sameer but to no avail as, he would threaten the victim and she would give a statement in his support. The family thought she wishes to live with him only. But one day, Arpita called Subir from an unknown number and asked him to save her.
He again gave a police complaint and when she was brought to the court for her statement, SinghaBahini volunteers rescued her. The police officials were busy following the protocols. The accused is still walking free with full police support, while the SinghaBahini volunteers and the victim’s family are hiding to save their lives. The couple is currently at a SinghaBahini safe house somewhere in rural Bengal, far away from East Midnapore.
Shockingly, the police administration is looking out for Subir, his younger brother and volunteers of SinghaBahini who took away the victim from police custody. Whereas, the accused who raped her, put her in his captivity and forcefully converted her to Islam walks free.
Notably, Maji and his activists asked the police to take action against the accused but the administration ignored their appeal.
The accused has links to the Trinamool Congress party and that is why he is getting the police protection told, Maji. Such is the state of administration and the so-called Majority of Hindus in Bengal. Religious conversion is rising at an alarming pace but fearing the administration all of it goes unreported. People like Arpita and Subir who dare to fight are forced to leave their homes and rush from place to place just to stay alive.
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