West Bengal is going through a continuously escalating assault on human rights and democratic freedoms. As another spine chilling tale of extortion, violence and barbarism on innocent citizens unravels in North Bengal the common people are once again brought face to face with the hard and dark realities. A young girl, a class ten student, had shown up with the courage to speak out against injustice perpetrated on her family by the local Trinamool Congress. Her family's tormentors had her abducted, raped and left her disrobed body by the railway tracks.
 

The girl's father was accused of not paying for the use of a tractor and a kangaroo court with the visible aid of the local TMC councillor had ostracised and abused the girl's family and ordered them to pay a fine of forty thousand rupees, of which four thousand was to be paid up immediately.The 'court' also issued a threat that their home would be burnt down if they did not cough up the money. Here the young girl put her foot down reminding those assembled that this was illegal and unacceptable. The ruling party's men ensured that she paid for her 'audacity'
 

While this gangrape has stirred up tidal waves of public anger, it is another bead in a string of innumerable incidences of crime against women, extortion in the name of the ruling party, and illegal kangaroo courts ocurring with greater and greater frequency. At the lowest levels the ruling party's members, strongmen and local leaders directly perpetrate the violence. Higher up, the government indirectly aides the process by its studied negligence and the protection it affords to individuals.
 

SFI and DYFI reacted immediately to the news, calling a local strike as well as state wide protests for the succeeding two days. A united resistance must be built against the lackadaisical attitude towards crime against women, against the extortion and stifling of dissenting voices. Until then honest people like the tenth standard girl from Dhupguri will continue to pay for their voices of dissent with their life and their honour. SFI is determined to do everything within its power to build this unity among the people. This is our pledge to the memory of our courageous sister.
 

3rd September 2014