New York, Jan 31 (IANS) The Indian government should prosecute security personnel for torture to make it clear that torture will not be tolerated, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
Border Security Force (BSF) troopers were captured in a video posted on YouTube brutally beating a Bangladeshi national caught smuggling cattle in West Bengal.
The video, reportedly filmed by a BSF soldier, showed colleagues from BSF’s 105th Battalion stripping the Bangladeshi man, Habibur Rahman, tying him up and beating him while laughing and engaging in verbal abuse.
The BSF suspended eight soldiers – Sandip Kumar, Dhananjay Roy, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Suresh Chandra, Anand Kumar, Victor, Amarjyoti, and Virendra Tiwari – and ordered an inquiry.
Human Rights Watch said that despite clear evidence of abuse, to date no criminal charges have been filed against any soldiers.
In December 2010, Human Rights Watch, together with a Kolkatta-based NGO that posted the video, and Dhaka-based Odhikar accused the BSP of torturing both Indians and Bangladeshis.
“After the report’s release, the Indian government ordered an end to the use of lethal force except in self-defense. While the number of killings decreased, allegations of killings and torture have continued,” it said.
