Indian court orders action against MP for issuing rape threats

The Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe and submit a report regarding the rape-and-violence remarks made by Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Tapas Paul, a counsel said.

The order by the court of Justice Dipankar Dutta came in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking criminal proceedings against the Lok Sabha member from Krishnanagar who was caught on successive tapes exhorting people in his constituency in Nadia district to kill activists of the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM) and rape their women.

“The court has ordered the director-general of the Criminal Investigation Department to probe the matter and submit a report by September 1. It has also directed police to treat an earlier complaint filed in this regard as an first information report (FIR),” said petitioner’s counsel Subrata Mukherjee.

“Expressing displeasure over a lawmaker turning a lawbreaker, Justice Dutta said the probe will be conducted as per the directions of the court,” said Mukherjee adding that police have been given 72 hours to act on the complaint that was filed by Biplab Chowdhury at Nakashipara police station in Nadia district seeking action against Paul.

The actor-turned politician was caught on tape asking his party activists to prove themselves by killing Communist Party of India - Marxist activists even as he himself asserted that he would gun down his rivals and let loose his “boys” to rape the Marxist women.

Notwithstanding the countrywide clamour for Paul’s arrest and expulsion from parliament, the Trinamool sought to end the matter with an apology which he tendered to his party and the media.

The court verdict was welcomed by politicians and activists but state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed his lack of faith in the Criminal Investigation Department .

“The verdict is a welcome step but there remain a few ifs and buts. Questions will remain about how far the Criminal Investigation Department will go to find guilty a member of parliament belonging to the ruling party,” he said. Welcoming the verdict, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tathagata Roy said the probe might yield desired result as the court will be monitoring it.

Several women activists too hailed the decision.