Indian Border Security Force yesterday said it has suspended its constable accused of raping a Bangladeshi woman when she was trying to illegally cross over to her country.
In a statement, the BSF said the woman and her 8-year-old son were arrested by BSF troops of border outpost Angrail on July 10 while she was trying to illegally cross over to Bangladesh from India.
During questioning, the woman alleged that one member of the BSF party, which apprehended her, has raped her in the presence of her son, the BSF said. "As the allegation was of very serious in nature, the BSF suspended its constable who was accused of raping the lady and immediately lodged an FIR with local police station Gaighata, district North 24 Parganas, requesting an inquiry into the issue," the statement said.
The woman was handed over to Gaighata police for conducting a medical examination and other legal formalities.
BSF authorities immediately got the constable medically examined wherein the medical officer did not find any evidence of his committing rape, said the statement.
The woman was referred to a government hospital at Bongaon by local police where she refused to undergo any kind of medical test, it added. The woman was produced before the additional chief judicial magistrate of Bongaon where her statement was recorded, in which she never complained of rape or molestation by the BSF.
A court of inquiry has been ordered by the BSF also to look into the matter, it said, adding, "BSF is a highly disciplined force and believes in zero tolerance for gender sensitivity. In this particular case also, the constable was suspended immediately in spite of denial of medical test by the lady and no evidence found during his medical examination by government medical officer.
"It seems that in order to cover illegal crossing of international border and to hide the network of the touts involved in illegal migration on Indo-Bangladesh Border, the image of the BSF is being maligned by launching propaganda."