A 13-year-old tribal girl dwelling in a village in South Dinajpur was raped by a youth on Wednesday night.
The accused also tried to strangulate her with a rope.
Police have arrested Priyanath Rajbanshi, the accused, while the girl is under treatment at a hospital in a critical condition. Naresh, the accused’s father, is a Trniamool booth-level leader.
Sources said on Wednesday night, the girl’s mother was sleeping on the verandah of their house while the girl was sleeping alone at home.
“It was past midnight when I heard my daughter shrieking for help. As I walked in, somebody shoved me and ran away. I found my daughter lying on the ground with torn clothes. She was raped. Also, a rope was tied to her neck as the person who tortured my daughter tried to strangulate her,” said the girl’s mother.
She raised an alert which prompted the neighbours to come out. They rushed the girl, a fifth-standard student, to a hospital where she is still under treatment.
The villagers also informed the police and a team from the local police station rushed to the spot. They initiated a probe and Priyanath was nabbed.
Police officials said they have received a complaint and have registered a case. “We need to interrogate the accused to gather more information. The medical examination will be done,” said an officer.
The incident prompted the BJP to react. While a team of party leaders visited the village on Thursday, Sukanta Majumdar, the state BJP president and the MP from Balurghat seat in South Dinajpur, was critical of the TMC and the state government on social media.
“@MamataOfficial, how many more such horrors must Bengal’s daughters endure? The people are crying out for justice, yet all theyreceive is indifference and threats from your government. Instead of ensuring the safety of our children, you continue to ignore the voices of the oppressed. How long will you turn a blind eye to the suffering ofthe innocent?
The streets are filled with outrage, and the cries for justice grow louder each day. When will this stop? How many more lives will be shattered before you take responsibility and resign? Bengal demands better,” Majumdar posted on X.
District TMC leaders, on the other hand, were brief in their reactions. “The accused’s family might be a supporter of our party or one of them can even be an office bearer at the local level. But that doesn’t mean the party will stand in his support. The law will take its course and the accused will get exemplary punishment if he was involved in the crime,” said Subhash Chaki, a vice-president of Trinamool in the district.