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By Tanmoy Chakraborty: There is anger among locals and a determination to uncover the “truth” behind the death of a minor tribal girl at Kaliaganj in West Bengal. While the police say the 17-year-old girl, whose body was found in a canal, had no external injuries, locals allege that the minor was raped and murdered. And in all this, the girl’s body awaits funeral. And it has been a week now.
The small town in Uttar Dinajpur district, located some 18 km from the Bangladesh border, has not seen a restful day over the past one week. From the time the girl’s body was recovered, the locals have clashed with police on several occasions, prompting authorities to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
The BJP called a 12-hour bandh on Friday in North Bengal, where Uttar Dinajpur is located. Sporadic violence was seen in some of the seven districts of North Bengal.
MYSTERY OVER MINOR’S DEATH
The 17-year-old girl, who belonged to the Rajbongshi community, had gone missing on April 20 after she left home to attend tuition classes. A day later, her body was found floating in a canal.
After the incident came to light, Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Sana Akhtar said that the preliminary post-mortem report revealed no injury to the body, adding that a bottle of poison was found near the body.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the teen died due to a love affair and that doctors have confirmed that she died after consuming poison.
But the locals disagree. They claim that the girl was raped and murdered.
Speaking to India Today, Ruby Roy, a resident of Sahebghata, said that even after days have passed since the death of the minor girl, the police have failed to uncover the truth.
The family of the deceased buried her body near her house in Kaliaganj, refusing to conduct the last rites. The family is hoping that a CBI team will probe the cause of her death, Ruby Roy said.
Another local, Jaidev Saha, claimed that the mobile phone of the person arrested in connection with the incident had not been seized yet.
Apart from this, the locals claim that the police did not even visit the teen’s house to take written statement of the family members. The people of the area are claiming that the minor girl was gang-raped and murdered and have accused the police of covering up the truth and passing a case of murder as suicide.
LAPSES BY POLICE IN PROBING GIRL’S DEATH?
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo has alleged serious lapses by the state police in investigating the death of the 17-year-old girl.
“There are serious lapses on the part of the Raiganj Police in investigating the girl’s death. I fear that evidence may be tampered with because of the dilly-dallying by the police. I believe the Mamata Banerjee government is trying to save the culprits,” Kanoongo was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The NCPCR chief claimed that the police have been trying to project the girl’s death as suicide, but it is quite a hard thing to believe. “I have seen her marksheets and spoken to her family. She was a very bright student. It is quite hard to believe that she died by suicide,” he said.
The police’s handling of the situation was also under fire after video showed cops dragging the girl’s body. The video, which went viral on social media platforms, triggered widespread criticism and led to the suspension of four Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASIs).
UNEASY CALM PREVAILS IN KALIAGANJ
Soon after the girl’s body was found floating in the canal in Kaliaganj, locals put up road blockades by burning tyres and set several shops on fire, prompting the police to use tear gas shells and charge batons to bring the situation under control. As the situation worsened in the town, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were also deployed. Prohibitory orders were soon imposed and heavy deployment of police forces was seen in the area.
An eerie calm was witnessed in the area before violence once again shook the small town.
On Tuesday, April 25, people belonging to the Adivasi and Rajbongshi communities organised a “Thana gherao” protest, as they agitated against alleged “police inaction” in the case. The barricades did not deter the mob, as they pelted stones on police personnel.
Thereafter, the mob entered the police station and set it on fire.
The police detained 11 people for their involvement in the violence. And heavy deployment of security forces was seen in the town in the aftermath of the mob setting the police station on fire.
Prohibitory orders were again imposed on Thursday and internet services were suspended in the town, which now wears a deserted look.
MAMATA BANERJEE GOVT UNDER FIRE
As the controversy continued over the probe into the Kaliaganj tribal girl’s death, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) vice-chairperson Arun Halder accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of protecting a particular community for vote-bank politics.
Meanwhile, the BJP called for a 12-hour bandh in districts of north Bengal on Friday, April 28, to protest against the “atrocities on the tribal community” against the backdrop of a girl’s death at Kaliaganj.
“The TMC has unleashed a reign of terror in several areas of north Bengal. We have decided to call for a 12-hour bandh tomorrow to protest against the atrocities on the tribal community in north Bengal districts by the state administration and the ruling party. Such atrocities are unprecedented,” BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.
The north Bengal region comprises Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda.
Lashing out at the call for bandh, the ruling Trinamool Congress accused the saffron camp of trying to “disturb the peaceful atmosphere of West Bengal”.
“The police have restored peace in Kaliaganj. But the BJP is desperate to politicise and communalise the issue ahead of the panchayat polls. The people of the state would defeat such attempts to disturb peace in the area. The BJP is trying to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of West Bengal,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
District Congress leader Mohit Sengupta called the tribal girl’s death a “rare incident in a civilized society”.
“The police are trying to cover up the incident. We want a CBI inquiry into the incident,” Mohit Sengupta said.
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