Agartala: Tripura State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has registered a case of rights violation by the police and served notice to the Director General of Police after four lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) members were called to the West Women’s Police Station for questioning on the night of January 8 last.
The state human rights commission sources on Saturday said Chairperson of SHRC Justice (Retd) S C Das had registered a suo-moto case on its own after seeing the news in media. The commission will summon all police personnel, journalists and victims if necessary. The state’s human rights commission will take necessary legal action against the culprits if anyone found guilty.
It is alleged that the police have inhumanely treated the four LGBT members during the interrogation in the police station and later in a statement denied the allegations and slapped counter allegation against the victims.
Soon after the police statement, At least 13 organisations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community came down heavily on police and claimed that the incident has been diverted in a wrong way where they are unlawfully trying to investigate the four LGBTQ victims.
The LGBTQ statement said that Mohini, Raj, Sangam and Tapu who reside in Agartala had experienced inhuman treatment, insults, threats & violence from Tripura police in the night. The four LGBT friends went to a hotel here for a DJ party. Three men including a photojournalist had started touching them inappropriately and groping their private parts.
Later, police personnel began harassing them during the walk, with questions about how they trick men into their traps and take money from them, amongst other slang. Both male and female police personnel were allegedly kept harassing them and they were stripped off of their basic human rights.
“We strongly object the statement as character assassination of any person without legal proceedings is unlawful”, the statement mentioned and added that they were disrobed and the most embarrassing and hurtful part was that the police kept our wigs and inner garments in the police station. They were treated like a beast there and their modesty was snatched away.
