A man was arrested in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, on charges of abducting and raping a minor girl. The arrest occurred on Saturday night. Reports suggest that the accused’s family has ties to the Trinamool Congress party.
This incident marks the third reported case of rape involving a minor in West Bengal in just 24 hours, with the other two incidents taking place in Kumargram, Alipurduar district, and Domkal, Murshidabad district.
According to a police complaint filed by the victim’s parents, the girl was abducted and taken to a secluded area and raped while walking home from her tuition class on Friday evening. After returning home, she was found in a distressed state and kept silent about the incident. The following evening, she attempted suicide but was stopped by her parents. Once they learned what had happened, they promptly reported the matter to the police, leading to the suspect’s arrest that same night. He is set to appear in district court on Sunday afternoon, where the public prosecutor will request police custody.
It has come to light that the accused had faced previous allegations of harassing young girls. Around a year ago, there was public outrage when the victim had reported the accused for teasing her, yet he managed to evade police action by offering a public apology.
Local BJP legislator Subrata Thakur claimed that the family of the accused and local Trinamool Congress supporters have been intimidating the victim’s family since the complaint was filed. In response, Trinamool Congress leader Prasenjit Ghosh denied these allegations, stating that the legal process would be followed in this case.
West Bengal has been in the spotlight for several months due to numerous reports of rapes and murders, including a highly publicized case involving the rape and murder of a junior doctor from R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August.