Love birds under siege in WB, seek protection

As Nupur Talwar, allegedly involved in ‘honour killing’ of her daughter Arushi, got bail on Tuesday, Shamshan Ghosh of Dharmada village of Nakashipara in Nadia district lynched her daughter Mampi (17) to death for marrying her lover Sanjay De.

Shamshan was helped by his brother Manik Ghosh and son Balaram in this dastardly act. They lynched Mampi in presence of her mother using a sharp weapon. Police could only arrest Mampi’s mother Chhaya Ghosh but Shamshan, Manik and Balaram are still absconding.

And, within 24 hours of this incident, Mithun Mondal and his wife Tarina Sultana, already married under Special Marriage Act, requested the West Bengal Human Rights Commissioner Justice (Retd.) A K Ganguly to save their lives. Tarina has alleged that her father wanted to kill her as she has married a non-Muslim.

“To abduct and kill my husband Mithun, my father raided his office in Kolkata with a dozen of thugs. He saved himself by fleeing from his office. Few days later, he raided our rented house near Sonarpur rail gate while Mithun was in office. I managed to flee. I am afraid as my father Israel Mallick, elder brother Mustaq Ahmed Mallick and my elder sister Nigar Sultana are threatening to kill me,” Tarina told state human rights commission chief.

Tarina father Israel Mallick is a known Trinamool Congress (TMC) activist. State rights commissioner Justice Ganguly has reportedly asked the three concerned police stations to provide security to the couple and do the needful.

These incidents gained significance in view of the fifth death anniversary of slain computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman three days later. It was alleged that Rehman was killed for marrying Priyanka Todi, daughter of Kolkata based businessman Ashok Todi.

The latest incidents have proved that things have not changed at all. Police, even under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, didn’t act to protect the couple’s legal rights. But, Rukbanur Rehaman, a TMC MLA and Rizwanur Rehman's brother, might feel awkward to accept Israel as his partyman.

Mithun, a staff of Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Solid Waste Management plant near Science City said, “I have filed a written complained with Pragati Maidan Police Station against repeated threats from my in-laws and their efforts to kill us. We also met the Chairperson of West Bengal Women’s Commission Sunanda Mukherjee too.”

Terrified Tarina said one of their distant relative Syed Khwaja Moin, who is MD of Faisal Health Care in Kolkata, has been “threatening” her and Mithun regularly over phone. While the couple was taking to media, Moin rang up and issued renewed threats number of times.

In Mampi’s case, Mampi and Sanjay were in a relation for long and both of them fled about three months back. At that time, her parents lodged a kidnapping case against Sanjay and got him arrested. Mampi was kept under watch at her uncle Manik Ghosh’s house at Bhebopara. Sanjay got bail about one-and-a half months back after spending 65 days in jail. Soon they got into touch and Mampi decided to flee and marry.

On Tuesday, Ghosh family raided Sanjay’s house in the early morning, dragged Mampi out of her room and attacked her with a sharp weapon killing her on the spot. Meanwhile, local people tried to save her but had to flee as the assailants chased them.

In the case of Tarina and, Mithin, Tarina's father Israel had told Mithun to convert to Islam or else both would be killed. Mithun’s family at Joynagar in South 24 Parganas has accepted Tarina as their daughter-in-law. “But some people of our locality are threatening my parents,” said Mithun.

“My elder sister Nigar threatened to kill me if I become mother,” said Tarina who passed her higher secondary this year.

Ranjit Sur of Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), who accompanied the aggrieved couple to chairman of rights commission, told TSI, “I tried to pursue Tarina’s parents but in vain. Her elder brother Mustaq told me that they may not kill her, but certainly will punish her.”

In a separate letter to Justice Ganguly, Ranjit urged the rights commission chief to secure the harassed couple.