KOLKATA: Fresh violence erupted in Kaliaganj in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, on the second consecutive day after a minor girl was allegedly raped and murdered a day before. BJP supporters, joined by locals, staged demonstrations and fought a pitched battle with police.
The police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse an unruly mob. The National Commission for Women (NCW) wrote to the DGP asking him to submit a report within three days about the progress of the investigation. A team of representatives from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights led by the chairman, Priyank Kanungo, is likely to visit the victim’s house.
The protest started when BJP leaders, including the party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar, arrived in Kaliaganj and met the family of the victim. Two shops in a local market were set ablaze and stones were pelted at the policemen. Rapid Action Force (RAF) resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells to quell the irate protesters.
The victim, a Class X student from a backward class went missing on Thursday night and her body was found floating in a canal in the area the next morning. Local residents staged a demonstration and pelted stones when the police arrived there to remove the body of the girl. Majumdar demanding a CBI probe into the incident said, “We think the truth will be revealed only if a CBI inquiry is conducted.”
On the allegation against the police, superintendent of Raiganj police district Mohammad Sana Akhtar said, “Cops acted according to the situation. We will inquire about their role.”