There are allegations of “delayed police action” as a Buddhist monk named Bimal Lama, 55, allegedly “molested” a woman at his house-turned-monastery at Gorabari village in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and absconded days after an FIR was lodged.
The incident allegedly took place on August 2, when a 35-year-old local cafe owner, Jyoti*, visited the monastery to “perform rituals for better health” after feeling “uneasy and ill” at a self-help group meeting. The monk, who was purportedly known for performing prayers for good health, allegedly “put his hands on Jyoti’s body inappropriately” while she was praying, said the complaint filed by her father.
Jyoti told Newslaundry that Bimal “molested and attacked my modesty. For the first few seconds I wasn’t sure what was happening”. She then ran out of the monastery and to her house, and an FIR was filed on the basis of her complaint at the Jorebunglow police station the next day.
The FIR has been lodged under sections 126(2) for offense of wrongful restrain, 75 (2) for sexual harassment, 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt, and 79 for word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
Nirnay Chettri, founder of a Darjeeling-based NGO Mankind in Action for Rural Growth, helped Jyoti in filing the police case and avail medical aid at a local hospital. Chhetri said, “We were shocked to learn that a monk could do something so horrible.” MARG also lodged a complaint with the National Commission of Women on August 6.
Jyoti claimed that she knew Bimal for over 10 years, from the time she had set up her business.
Both Nirnay and Jyoti alleged that police didn’t take any action in the case for a week. “It was not until August 9 that the police went to his residence to arrest him” and by then he had reportedly already fled to Nepal.
On August 16, Bimal’s lawyer filed an anticipatory bail plea under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita in the sessions court, claiming innocence. But it was rejected on the grounds of “breach of trust”, public prosecutor Pranai Rai told Newslaundry. On the same day, MARG held a press conference, saying that Bimal was hiding in Nepal.
Deputy SP Darjeeling Town Ram Gopal Mondal told Newslaundry, “We had issued a notice to Bimal Lama on August 8 but he has not replied. We raided his house but he is absconding.” On the allegations of delay in action, Mondal said that the notice was issued five days after the FIR, and “the provision says that it should be issued within 15 days, so it is legal”.
Mondal further said that the victim’s statement was taken in front of the magistrate and investigation is in progress.
Jyoti said that she will not back down. “If nothing happens in the police investigation for some more days, I will write letters to the village panchayats and higher authorities demanding justice. Because if a monk or religious leader assaults us, where are women safe then?”
*Name of the alleged victim has been changed to protect her identity.
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