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Comrade
Ila Mitra: A tribute [Part II]
- Ajoy Roy
Torture
on Ila Mitra
As we told in our
last posting that Ila Mitra with some of her close comrades and hundreds of
her Saontal followers was arrested at Rohanpur Railway station. She was
brought to Nachol police station on the next day, 08. 01. 50. From 8 – 10th
January she was not only inhumanly treated but was exposed to all kinds of
brutal torture committed by the Sub Inspector of Nachol with his sepoy
accomplices. The process and methods of repression and torture are beastly and
totally devoid of any human values and touch. She was treated like worse than
an animal. To what limit police excess could reach - torture carried on
comrade Ila Mitra could be cited for all time. It is a glaring example how a
civilized government use its sate machinery to the extreme brutality to
torture its own citizen in the name of extracting confession. The treatment
and torture she had received at the hands of police under the leadership of
S.I. of Nachol had no parallel yet in the history of Pakistani repression on
accused. The vivid picture of those tortures she received from the government
of the Islamic State of Pakistan was given by her at the Rajshahi Court. The
form and kind of torture had no limit- it exceeds all imagination. I cite a
few below as examples.
- Physical
torture – beating , pressing hands & legs in between two bamboo
sticks
- Beating
on heads with rifle butt and kicking delicate parts of the body with boots
on
- Stripping
of cloth followed by beating on naked body
- Starvation
- Even
drinking water denied
- Solitary
confinement within a cell
- Piercing
iron nails through heels
- Pushing
foreign body in her private parts
- Raping
- Insulting
remarks
Comrade Mitra had gone through
mental agony, pain and physical strains in Nachol police station for three
days.
On 10th January ’50 she was brought to Nawabganj in almost semi
unconscious sate with high fever and bleeding condition. At the Nawabganj
police jail gate the sepoys received her with blows on her forehead. She
however here received much better treatment compared what happened at Nacho.
She got medical treatment and finally was transferred to Nawabganj Govt.
hospital on 12. 01. 50 as is evident from her jabanbandi
(statement). The OC of Nawabganj Ps, happened to know Ila Mitra at Calcutta.
He treated her well and looked after her so that no such brutal oppression was
repeated here. Ila Mitra later on remembered his kind behavior with gratitude.
She later on recalled : “ the OC of that police station Mr. Raham knew me.
When I was studying at Bethune he was a student of Scottish Church College. My
fever at that ran very high. Blood was streaming out from my whole body. Under
such condition I was left alone in a cell. OC Mr. Rahman used come at night
unnoticed and used to pour water on my head and freshened me up; he also feed
me with fruits. I shall never forget his greatness. I was there at Nawabganj
for 7 days. Every night throughout seven days he nursed me with care and love
and gave medicine. Otherwise I would have died there. Many came inside the
cell to beat me up, but he sternly resisted all saying that she was under
trial and no one should raise any hand on her.” The attending doctor Mr.
Ayub Ali was also very sympathetic to her. Even then on 16th
January she was forcibly take to a house to sing a blank paper under threat
and physical torture.
Communal
tension: hunger strike of the security prisoners
As the condition of comrade Mitra continued to deteriorate she was
brought to Rajshahi Central jail in a very poor state of health on 21. 01. 50
and was directly admitted to Rajshahi Central Jail Hospital. The matter did
not end there the attempt was being made at the instance of ML government to
colour the Nachol rebellion as Hindu-Muslim conflict in which the Hindus and
Saontals deliberately killed the Muslims including A.S.I of Nachol. The widow
of the deceased was brought to Rajshahi jail gate by the interested quarters
that used to narrate a false and concocted story about Nachol killing. She
tried to excite the common prisoners and sepoys that her husband was killed by
the Hindus and Saontals. So they must take revenge against the Hindu prisoners
particularly those who were accused of Nachol episode. The jailor Mannan
played a significant role in this matter. Often he used to bring Ila Mitra
from jail hospital at the gate almost in a half naked condition showing her to
the prisoners “ Look at your Rani Ma. She even became a queen. “ This
created a tense communal situation inside Rajshahi jail among the prisoners.
For this reason the Hindu security prisoners dared not to come out of their
wards during those days.
Seeing no alternatives the security prisoners submitted a memorandum to the
chief minister Nurul Amin giving him a 15 days ultimatum to ease communal
tension in side the jail- otherwise they would go for hunger strike to redress
the situation. As nothing was heard from the chief minister the security
prisoners resort to hunger strike from 2nd February ’50. On the
ninth day ( 10th February)
the district magistrate came to see the conditions of hunger strikers and
assured them that the administration was taking appropriate steps to ease the
tension and bring back normalcy. Since the wife of the deceased ASI stopped
coming at the jail gate and jailor Manna was cautioned for his communal
utterances.
Famous
Jail Killing at Khapra Ward
After some time Ila Mitra was brought to Rajshahi central jail from the
hospital in a relatively slight better condition. She was put in a small cell
in a sick condition. The security prisoners already came to know about her and
Nachol rebellion. Ila Mitra also came to know the conditions of the security
prisoners and common prisoners for the better of which the prisoners were
making demands. These demands of the general prisoners for improvement of
their diet and supported by the security prisoners, who began a hunger strike
on 5th April ’50 in support of the common prisoners’ demands.
This ultimately led to the history-famous jail killing in Khapra Ward on 24th
April. The sepoys opened fire when the jail superintendent Mr. Bill
accompanied by the jailor and two deputy jailors came to visit the jail. On
the day seven security prisoners, Hanif Shaikh, Sukhen Bahattacharya, Delwar,
Sudhin Dhar, Bijan Sen, Kamparam Singha, and Anwar Hosain died on the spot.
There were 31 security prisoners in all out of which seven met death and many
others received serious injuries including Mansur Habib, Nurunnabi Choudhury,
Abdul Haque, Amulya Lahiri, Babar Ali and Abdus Shahid.
Nachol
Case Initiate Opened at Rajshahi Court
In November 1950 the case of killing ASI of Nachol was formally opened
at the court of first class magistrate Mr. Ahmad Mian. There were 31 accused
of which most prominent of course was comrade Ila Mitra. Others were: Animesh
Lahiri, Azahar Shaikh, Brindaban Saha, Sukra Kamar, Renga Bali, Sukh Bilas
Singha, Chatur Majhi, Yadu Majhi, Chhanu Majhi, Bhadu Mandal alias Bhadu
Barman, Dulu Majhi, Upen Koch, Mangla Mandal, Indria Morsu, Suren Barman,
Toton Majhi, Lalo Ray, Skifem Majhi, Gopal Singha, Mohanta Mallik, Syfal Majhi,
Deben Ray, Smay Yaren, Kishan Tadu, Chinu Ray, Khoka Ray, Nagen Sardar, Durga
Bakshi. Later on out 31 last eight were dropped making the list of 23 accused.
Comrade Mitra remembered the event in this manner :
“ After
medical treatment for more than a year as I recovered slightly- I was attacked
with Malaria and Kalajar. At that time if I were not properly taken care of by
Manoroma Masima and Lily I would have not survived. When I resumed the
strength the trial began. As I still could not walk properly I had to go to
the court in horse driven cart with police protection. The very day I returned
from the court I forcibly entered the female ward the general female prisoners
and security prisoners lived. Since then I did not return to the solitary
cell. Other security prisoners also helped me in this respect, otherwise I
could not had stayed there. I found many security prisoners in the ward among
whom I still remember Manoroma Basu, Pultul Dasgupta, Sujata Dasgupta – all
of Barisal, Bhanu Devi of Khulna, Lili Chakraborty of Pabna, Amita Datta,
Susama Devi, Aparna Roy Choudhury of Sylhet, Bhdra Mani Hajang and Arsa
Manigupta of Mymensingh and Rekha of Naogaon – in total 14. They all tried
to help me surviving and keeping my strength to face the trial. Although the
case was initiated on November 1950- it’s hearing started on January 1951. A
noted lawyer of Rajshahi bar Mr. Biren Sarkar and others defended her case.
Manoroma Masima insisted that she must give a vivid statement what happened at
Nachol police station. Bhanu Devi cautioned her if she did not disclose the
full truth of torture on her body including sexual violence she would
recommend to the party leadership for discontinuing Ila’s membership. All
her co prisoners including the common prisoners encouraged her to tell the
truth. Inspired by their advice she decided the give a statement of full truth
even at the cost of her personal and family honour. She admitted although she
was a communist but still then as a Hindu girl she was in a dilemma and was
confused. She faced immense difficulty to overcome the social barrier. Finally
he spoke out the whole truth of the event.
We reproduce below the statement she gave before the court of Rajshahi,
perhaps on the very first day when the court proceeding started at Rajshahi in
January 1951.
Statement
of Comrade Ila Mitra before Rajshahi Court in January 1951
How
Humanity Attacked Under
Liakat
– Nurul Amin Regime ?
Below
is the statement of Sm. ILA MITRA made before the court at Rajshahi to
inhuman treatment meted out to a lady, only because she holds a political
opinion other than that of Liakat-Nurul Amin Feudal class: -
Sm.
Ila Mitra in bar statement pleading ‘not guilty’ to the charges said ;
I know nothing about the case. On 7-1-50 last I was arrested in
Rohanpur and taken to Nachole the next day. The police guards assaulted me
on the way and thereafter I was taken inside a cell. The S.I. threatened to
make me naked if I did not confess everything about the murder. As I had
nothing to say, all my garment were taken away and I was imprisoned inside
the cell in stark naked condition
No food was given to me, not even a drop of water. The same day in
the evening the sepoys began to beat me on the head with butt ends of their
guns, in the presence of S.I. I was profusely bleeding through nose.
Afterwards my garments were returned to me, and about 12 midnight I was
taken out of the cell and lead possibly to the quarters of the S.I., but I
was not certain.
In that room where I was taken they tried brutal methods to bring out
confession. My legs were pressed between bamboo sticks, and the people
around me were saying, I was being administered a ‘Pakistani injection’.
When this torture going on they tied my mouth with a napkin. They also
pulled off my hairs, but as they could not force me to say anything. I was
taken back to the cell carried by the sepoys, as after the torture it was
not possible for me to walk.
Inside the cell again the S.I. ordered the sepoys to bring four hot
eggs, and said, now she will talk. Thereafter four or five sepoys forced me
to lie down on my back, and one pushed a hot egg through my private parts. I
was feeling like being burnt with fire, and became unconscious.
When I came back to my senses in the morning of 9 – 1- 50, the S.I.
and some sepoys came into my cell and began to kick me on the belly with
boots on. Thereafter a nail was pierced through my right heel. I was then
lying half conscious, and heard the S.I. muttering : ‘We are coming again
at night, and if you do not confess, one by one the sepoys will ravish you.
At dead of night, the S.I. and his sepoys came back and the threat was
repeated. But as I still refused to say anything, three or four men got hold
of me, and a sepoy sexually began to rape me. Shortly afterwards I became
unconscious.
Next day on 10-1-50 when I became conscious again, I found that I was
profusely bleeding and my cloth was drenched in blood. I was in that state
taken to Nawabganj from Nachole. The sepoys in Nawabganj jail gate received
me with smart blows.
I
was then in a prostate condition and the Court Inspector and some sepoys
carried me to a cell. I had high fever then and I was still bleeding. A
doctor, possibly from the Govt. Hospital at Nawabganj had noted the
temperature of my body to be 105 o. When he heard from me of
profuse bleeding I had he assured me, I would be treated with the help of a
woman nurse. I was given some medicine and two pieces of rugs.
On
11-1-50 the woman nurse of the Govt. Hospital examined me. I do not know
what report she gave about my condition. After she came, the blood stained
piece of cloth I was wearing was changed for a clean one. During all this
time I was in a cell of the Nawabganj PS under the treatment of doctor. I
had high fever and profuse bleeding. and was unconscious from time to time.
On
11-1-50 a stretcher was brought before my cell in the evening and I was told
that I would have to go elsewhere for examination, on my protest that I was
too ill to move about, I was struck with a stick and forced to get on the
stretcher after which I was carried on it to another house. I told nothing
there, but the sepoys forced me a sign a blank paper. I was at time in a
semi-conscious state with high fever. I was next day transferred to the
Nawabganj Govt. Hospital, and on 21-1-50 when the state of my health was
still very precarious, I was brought from Nawabganj to Rajshahi Central
jail, and was admitted to the jail hospital.
I
had not under any circumstances said anything to the police, and I have
nothing to say than I have stated above.
NB: The statement was issued in Bengali. As it was
not published in any dailies, it was translated into English and was
circulated throughout East Bengal as an Istahar (Pamphlet) during early 1950.
The worst parts of torture were
of sexual violence. It had two kinds: (i) forcibly pushing a hot egg inside
her vaginal channel and (ii)
violent raping by a sepoy. Both these offensive action were imparted at the
instruction and presence of S.I. of Nachol. Let us hear the experience and
feeling of such terrible torture from her own words in Bengali :
This happened on 8th January in the
evening inside a cell at Nachol Ps.
This happened on the night of 9th
January, 1950 inside a cell at Nachol Ps.
End of Part II ( to be continue )
Part-3
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