In West Bengal, Two Women Are Brutally Assaulted Because They Refused To Give Up Their Own Land. A New Low!

In West Bengal, Two Women Are Brutally Assaulted Because They Refused To Give Up Their Own Land. A New Low!

There is a reason why in any country, be it India or some other, there are laws – to sustain a cordial, happy and systematic living. Basically, so we don’t end up behaving like animals, though after reading this story, you will think that is an insult to animals. There is a reason why there are a set of right and wrongs laid down by law, it keeps us in check, and we desperately need that. But like any other time, when people are quick to take the law in their own hands, it becomes obvious that we’re absolutely incapable of living life like sound human beings, and will quickly degenerate into monsters. And we say this after coming across a rather gut-wrenching incident where two women were beaten, thrashed and dragged by their arms and legs over a road in West Bengal.

This piece of news that hasn’t just deepened our Monday blues, but also got us boiling with anger. Two sisters were recently beaten down by a group of men, tied and then dragged around in the Trinamool district of West Bengal, over what was simply a conflict of unlawful seizing of the woman’s land by the Trinamool-run panchayat. Turns out, Smritikona Das, a teacher and the victim of such harsh, unlawful and inhuman assault, was told that there was a road to be built in front of her house that would be 12 feet wide, for which Das had agreed to give up part of her land. But when the time came, as the panchayat settled down on widening the road to 24 feet, as opposed to the 12 decided upon earlier. Smritikona Das protested for she would end up losing more land than she had agreed upon. Fair, you would think, no?

Not taking the resistance well and definitely not expecting to hear a ‘no’, from a woman none the less, the woman was beaten down by a group of men hailing from the Trinamool Congress, who worked on the orders of the panchayat leader of the district, Amal Sarkar.

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During the assault, which by now is clear was not only unsolicited but also an act of barbaric monstrosity, was the result of the deep-rooted misogyny that was questioned and threatened by Das when she voiced her dissent over their actions of taking control of her land without her consent. And the fact that this was done under the name of the ones we elect as leaders, is proof that no matter how much change and safety we advocate for women, we aren’t going to ever be safe, respected or treated as humans, let alone equals.

 

The video, that has now gone viral and has made enough rounds on the internet to boil our blood, shows how brutally the woman was ganged up against and beaten by the miscreants. And when in attempt to save her, her older sister Soma Das tries to step in, she too was thrashed and dragged by the men. Such is the reality that we live in, when the very leader of the Panchayat, who is appointed to address the concerns of the people of the village, stoops down to the level of violent assault against women when his authority is questioned. And if this isn’t reflective of the skewed gender bias in our country, that facilitates violent and hate crimes against women, be it rape or assault, we don’t know what is.

Following the incident, on Sunday, the District Chief, Arpita Ghosh announced the suspension of panchayat leader Amal Sarkar from his office. And honestly, we think it wasn’t remotely enough as a punishment for such vile behaviour. The two women were rushed to the hospital soon after the assault and have gone undergone treatment, meanwhile Smritikona has now filed a complaint against the Panchayat leader Amal Sarkar, and we hope there is some rigorous punishment waiting for him at the other end, for even thinking about laying a hand on a woman for standing her ground.

It is time people realise that they can not treat women like their slaves and aren’t entitled to their submission any longer. Because just like Smritokona Das and her sister, we aren’t backing down anymore.

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Sadhika Sehgal

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