Agartala, 15 Oct: A trans woman, Komolika Das, filed a complaint at West Police Station on 15 August alleging that a man from Rajnagar named Jalil Mia who introduced himself as Sujit Das lured her to his home by promising marriage, then deceived and confined her. Komolika Daa says that when she tried to leave, she and others at the house tied her up and kept her there for three days. Police later arrested Jalil Mia’s father during the investigation and, after a search, also arrested Jalil himself, West Police officials said today. The details were given to the press by SDPO (H), Debprasad Roy.
According to Komolika’s statement to reporters, the case is part of a larger, brutal pattern of abuse faced by trans women in the city. She described another recent incident involving a trans woman named Rin and a man called Rakib:
“A terrible thing happened to one of our trans women, Rin. I came today because I was informed the local leader told me, so I came. A while ago, a trans woman fell into a relationship with a man named Rakib who used a Hindu name to befriend her and lure her into an emotional relationship. Later it emerged that he was Muslim religion is not the issue for me but to enter a relationship under false pretences is wrong. Worse than the fraud was what happened afterwards: he took her to his house and subjected her to severe physical torture. They chopped her hair, plucked out her eyebrows, beat her with sharp weapons, inflicted deep wounds so she bled, and forced her to bathe in saline (salt) water. It was horrific.”
Komolika added that the victim was also assaulted by her own father and repeatedly suffered seizures; she was left on the road. CCTV footage near Durgachmuni Police Station showed the injured woman, and a police officer at that location rescued her and initially took her to IGM Hospital; she was later referred to GB Hospital. Komolika said the survivor was unconscious for a day or more and, although she has been reunited with her family, she remains mentally disturbed and is undergoing treatment to recover her mental balance.
SDPO (H) Debprasad Roy corroborated the broad outline of the complaint, confirming that a case was filed at West Police Station. He said:
“First the accused’s father was arrested. Then Rakib was also arrested. He was remanded and will be produced in court today. The administration has been fully cooperative from the beginning. I want to say to the people of Tripura that such crimes will not be tolerated here — neither administratively nor by our organisations. There is a Transgender Welfare Board, relevant laws, and active organisations working for the dignity of trans people. Such offences cannot be allowed; if found guilty the accused must face imprisonment as per the court’s order and the law.”
Police are continuing their investigation and the arrested persons have been placed in custody pending court proceedings. Local transgender welfare groups and authorities say they will monitor the case closely to ensure justice for the survivor.
