The Calcutta High Court has tasked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Murlidhar Sharma with investigating allegations of physical torture at an all-women police station in Paschim Medinipur district. The directive was issued following claims by Sucharita Das, a Leftist student leader, that she was subjected to torture during a protest near Vidyasagar University.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh ordered Sharma, a senior IPS officer currently in charge of training at the state police academy, to review CCTV footage and all relevant digital materials from the police station where the alleged incident took place. Das moved the court claiming that she was taken to the station during a protest on March 3 and was physically tortured there.
The court has scheduled the submission of Sharma’s report for March 25, with a hearing set for the following day to consider the findings. Additionally, the officer-in-charge of the all-women police station has been directed to file an affidavit opposing Das’s accusations by April 9, with Das expected to reply by April 17.
The allegations emerged amid a wider context of unrest, with Leftist student unions calling for a strike across West Bengal colleges and universities on March 5. This strike was in response to violence during protests at Jadavpur University on March 1, which occurred when state Education Minister Bratya Basu visited the campus.
West Bengal’s Advocate General, Kishore Dutta, defended the actions of the police station, asserting that video recordings of Das’s stay show no evidence of torture and that she was provided with food during her time there. Dutta also mentioned that Das’s release at approximately 1:09 am on the following day was a preventive measure due to the university protests, rather than a formal arrest.
