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Fisherman beaten to death at Bengal kangaroo court
A fisherman was beaten to death at a West Bengal kangaroo court that had been convened to mediate a dispute over a fish pond, once again underscoring the nuisance such courts have become in the state.
A fisherman was beaten to death at a West Bengal kangaroo court that had been convened to mediate a dispute over a fish pond, once again underscoring the nuisance such courts have become in the state.
It was learnt that one of these courts, locally known as salishi sabha, was held at village Jamuriadanga in Purulia district, about 300 km from Kolkata, on Tuesday night to decide on the allotment of a pond for fish farming.
Forty-five-year-old Anil Bauri was beaten to death with sticks after a dispute erupted over the allotment.
"We went to the village and we are looking into whether these kangaroo courts are being held regularly. We are also probing who convened the meeting," said Purulia additional superintendent of police Dyutiman Bhattacharya.
The state has been rocked by atrocities inflicted on people at kangaroo courts at least twice in the past few months, both in Birbhum district.
In January 2014, a girl was allegedly raped by about a dozen men on the orders of a kangaroo court. Last week, a similar court ordered that the three men accused of raping a minor would be allowed to go scot free if they agreed to give a certain quantity of liquor.
The January incident had prompted the Supreme Court to seek a report from the local administration.
