KOLKATA: A day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee 'love affair' question about the alleged gangrape and murder of a 14-year-old girl by the son of a local TMC leader in Nadia's Hanskhali drew condemnation, a public interest litigation was filed in the Kolkata High Court on Tuesday seeking a CBI probe into the incident. The court heard the plea and reserved its order.
The police had arrested Brajgopal Goala, the son of the TMC leader who had invited the girl to his birthday party and allegedly raped her, and one of his accomplices.
The family of the girl cremated her body and lodged a police complaint five days after the incident. In the complaint, they alleged the girl was dropped at their house by two women on April 7.
"The girl was bleeding profusely and was treated by a local quack. She died the next morning. The body was cremated at the local crematorium without post-mortem and without a death certificate being issued and the family alleged they had to do it under the pressure of Samar Goala, the TMC leader," said an officer of Hanskhali police station quoting from the complaint.
The cops interrogated the quack and employees at the crematorium.
Referring to the incident, Mamata on Monday had wondered, "Was there a love affair between the girl and the youth? Was she pregnant? The girl died on April 5 and the complaint was lodged on April 10. Why was the complaint not lodged on the same day?"
The Chief Minister's remark drew widespread flak.
"Mamata Banerjee's crass comment on the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Hanskhali is not just abhorrent but also steeped in gross illegality. Sexual intercourse with a minor is rape. It is a crime. Her murder is a crime. Bengal CM shamed the victim and defended the accused," tweeted BJP's Amit Malviya.
Reacting to Mamata's comment, governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted, "Criminal Investigation in shameful rape #Hanskhali leading to victim death is tainted & compromised when people in authority & constitutional position indicate judgemental stance. This against-the-law approach scuttles fair & independent probe as police is forced to toe such line."
Dhankhar asked the chief secretary and the DGP to update him about the investigation by 4 pm on April 13.
Representatives of the State Child Protection Society visited Hanskhali on Tuesday and met the family members of the victim.
The day also saw the leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari lead a protest march in Hanskhali and proclaim that the present TMC-led government has no right to continue in power.