---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rupesh Chettri <roopeshchet...@yahoo.in> Date: 2009/9/7 Subject: Re: [ap-rainbow] MSM Outreach Workers Abused in DELHI by Delhi Police To: ap-rain...@yahoogroups.com
With the continuation of the incident “outreach worker harassed” yesterday, here are some more detail about it. Brief detail was not possible yesterday even after my being on phone and keeping regular update of what is going on. They were not even able to speak with me for more than a minute as they were already so shattered and instead of helping and reporting the incident police were equally harassing them. The kind of questions and language these police officers were using was so damaging that the ORWs started getting uneasy and scared. It took exact 2 hours for outreach worker and few Peers educators to debate with the police officers to take letter of complaint, and no copy was provided of FIR. Which means that they have not lodge our FIR yet. My immediate meeting with the outreach worker and Peer educator in the late night 11.30 PM gave me the clear picture of the whole incident and the response of our Police. The outreach workers were harassed by three drunk men who were claiming themselves to be police in civil dress at outreach area Baljeet Nagar, near hanuman mandir, at first they caught two of the peers by their hairs and started accusing them of infecting one of their friend with HIV. They kept making derogatory remarks about kothis, hijra and gay men. Among these three men one of them was holding shaving blade in his hand and was trying to bring it near the face of these two peer educators, their clear intension was to make them scared. When rest of the peers and a outreach worker saw this, they immediately join them to help them. The outreach worker tried to explain them about what they are doing here and all about target intervention and especially that it’s a government supported program. But as these three men were drunk and their clear intention was to harass and rob, they were not ready to listen anything about program and the work. They simply asked to give away all the cash and any other valuables outreach workers and peer educators are having. Even after best try of convincing these three men the situation got even worse. At the end a gold chain worth 17000/- Rupees, a purse containing 730/- rupees and some coins and a mobile phone Nokia N–70 were snatched from one of the peer educator. The torture did not only end here but these three men were also forcing the peers to have sex with them right there. Some how they all managed to get away and directly reached Patel Nagar police station without any delay. After telling the whole story to the police officer name Mr. Bhagwan Sahai and Mr. Munim Dutt (ASI). Mr. Bhagwan Sahai asked one of the outreach worker and one Peer Educator to call their fathers, and said that do your parents know that you people work with Hijras and snatched the complaint application which the peer was writing and threw away. After the other peers objection that why do he wish to speak to the parents when they are on their official duty and are the victim not accused. After a 10 minutes of argument Mr. Bhagwan Sahai handed over our plea to some other Police officer and where the peers and outreach worker explained him the entire incident again. This ploice officer not only accompanied the peer and ORWs till the point of incident took place but also asked them to come back to the police station and file a complaint. After all the peer and ORW reaching to the station back they just took the written application and gave the photocopy of the same application with a stamp on it. To note down the written complaint from the application on their register they took almost half an hour as some times they use to say that register is not with them or were just ignoring and asking the peers and ORWs to wait and wait. After the entire incident discussing with Mr. Aditya Bondyoapdhyay from National MSM & HIV, Policy Advocacy & Human Rights Task Force and Mr. Firoj of Human Rights Law Network they have asked to go and check weather they really registered the FIR or just taken the complaint application. After my request Mitr’s project manager Mr. Baljeet Singh, counselor Ms. Kanta along with the ORW Mr. Monu and peer educators Ms. Vandana, sandeep, tanisha, seema aqnd ramakant went to the Patel Nagar Police station to verify that they filed a FIR or not. As now the dialogue with the Mr. Praveen (Reader) at Patel Nagar police station confirmed that the FIR has been register (FIR No. 37 A) and the progression report on the case can be only taken by Mr. Subhe Singh the officer who is looking after the case.
