1990 Bantala rape case
{{Short description|Rape of three health officers}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox news event
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| date = 30 May 1990
| time = 6:30 pm IST (UTC+05:30)
| place = Bantala, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India
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| reported injuries = 2 (female victims)
| reported death(s) = 2 (1 female victim, 1 male victim)
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On 30 May 1990, three health officers in India, two from the Health Department of the Government of West Bengal and one from UNICEF, were raped by a group of confirmed CPI (M) party members, in Bantala Road, when they were returning from Rangabelia village in Gosaba. One of the officers and their driver died while resisting the attackers.
Incident
On 30 May 1990, a team of three health officers were returning to Kolkata after inspecting an immunization program in Gosaba.{{cite news|title=Woman Official lynched in Calcutta|date=1 June 1990|work=The Statesman|location=Kolkata}}{{Cite journal|last=Sarkar|first=Tanika|date=1991|title=Reflections on Birati Rape Cases: Gender Ideology in Bengal|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=26|issue=5|pages=215–218|jstor=4397275}} The team consisted of Anita Dewan, the Deputy District Extension Media Officer of the West Bengal Health Department; Uma Ghosh, a senior officer of the Health Department; and Renu Ghosh, a representative of UNICEF's World Health Organization office in New Delhi. Around 6:30 pm, when they reached Bantala near the Eastern metropolitan bypass, a group of 4-5 youths stopped their car near the local club.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oMRUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139|title=The Whistle and The Hummingbirds|last=Malllick|first=Shyamadas|date=9 April 2018|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=9781946515810|pages=Section 2|language=en}}{{Cite book|last=Ray|first=Raka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kh2keRsHhnwC|title=Fields of Protest: Women's Movements in India|date=2000|publisher=Zubaan|isbn=9788186706237|pages=99|language=en|author-link=Raka Ray}} The driver Abani Naia made an attempt to swerve and escape, but he lost control and the car overturned. Another gang of 10-12 youths arrived at the spot, who pulled one of the women out of the car, while the others pulled out the other two women. The driver of the car tried to resist the youths, but failed. The attackers crushed the driver's genitalia and set the car on fire.{{cite news|url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article2365.html|title=Musings of a Pensionjivi on Sumanta Banerjee's Letter|last=Bandyopadhyay|first=D|date=9 October 2010|work=Mainstream Weekly|access-date=7 July 2013}} The lady officers were then taken to a nearby paddy field and raped. One woman, Anita Dewan, was killed as she tried to resist the rapists.{{cite journal |last1= Banerjee|first1= Sumanta |date= 18 August 1990|title= West Bengal Today: An Anticipatory Post-Mortem|volume= 25 |issue= 33 |pages= 1812–1816 |url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/4396636|jstor=4396636|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|access-date=17 March 2024}}
The police brought the naked bodies of the officers to the emergency department of Calcutta National Medical College at around 11:30 pm. Initially they were presumed dead, but later two of them were found to be alive and were admitted for treatment. A doctor who examined the dead woman, Anita Dewan, fainted when she discovered a metallic torch had been inserted inside her vagina.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-15 |title=Why we must never forget the atrocities, brutal murders and gangrapes in CPM-era Bengal |url=https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/why-we-must-never-forget-the-atrocities-brutal-murders-and-gangrapes-in-cpm-era-bengal-12734122.html/amp |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}
The injured driver was transferred to SSKM Hospital for treatment. He bore 43 wounds in his body caused by blunt, sharp and heavy weapons.{{cite news|title=none|last=Sengupta|first=Sukhoranjan|date=22 June 1990|work=Anandabazar Patrika|language=bn|location=Kolkata}} His penis was smashed by the attackers. On 4 June 1990 at 5:40 am, he died.
Investigation
Prasanta Sur, the then Health Minister of West Bengal, defended the mob, which consisted of members of his political party, by contending that the victims might have been mistaken as child-abductors. But there is controversy regarding the actual cause of the incident.
{{Cite book|title=Hingsar Utsab|language=bn|last=Four decades of blood bath in Bengal|publisher=Dip Prakashan|year=2011|location=Kolkata|page=93}}{{Cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mamata-banerjees-kolkata-tarnished-by-string-of-crimes-against-women/1/334819.html|title=City of Joy to city of rapes: Kolkata sees string of crimes against women|access-date=2017-06-27}}{{Cite journal|date=5 June 2015|title=Women, Rape and the Left|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/1991/5/prespectives-perspectives/women-rape-and-left.html|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|language=en|volume=26|issue=5}} It has been speculated that Dewan was the main target because she had been collecting evidence about funds allocated by the UNICEF for rural development in the state being misused & misappropriated by the local panchayat members affiliated with the ruling CPI(M) for their own enrichment. After investigations by the government, the six accused in the case were sentenced to life-imprisonment.{{cite news|title=CM vows justice for rape victims|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/CM-vows-justice-for-rape-victims/articleshow/40201815.cms|website=The Times of India|date=14 March 2003 |access-date=6 September 2017}}
In popular culture
"The Red Files" is a Bengali thriller film directed by Kingshuk Dey, based on the 1990 Bantala rape case in West Bengal. The movie aims to shed light on the issue of unsolved cases and the struggle for justice. It features a cast including Kinjal Nanda, Bidipta Chakraborty, and Mumtaz Sorcar, with Nanda and Chakraborty portraying lawyers and Sorcar playing a top cop. Director Kingshuk Dey emphasizes the need for societal awareness and unity in fighting against such crimes. The film, currently in post-production, is set to be released soon, with Dey handling the story, dialogue, and script, Subhadeep Naskar serving as the DOP, and Soumya Rit composing the music{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Sanka |date=Nov 22, 2022 |title='The Red Files': Film Based On 1990 Bantala Rape Case Brings Back Horrific Memories |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/the-red-files-film-based-on-1990-bantala-rape-case-brings-back-horrific-memories/articleshow/95675492.cms |website=Times of India}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite news |url=http://mainstreamweekly.net/article10675.html |title=Bantala: Anatomy of a Lynching Foretold |author=Sujit Chakraborty |date=2 April 2021 |newspaper=Mainstream Weekly |volume=LIX |issue=16 |place=New Delhi}}
{{Rape in India}}