A 16-year-old tribal girl was raped by a quack on Wednesday evening, the same day when another minor girl of the tribal community was raped and attempts were made to strangulate her in the neighbouring South Dinajpur district.

According to police sources, Subodh Mondal, a 53-year-old quack, had called the girl at her home to teach her how to conduct pathologial tests. She went there and he raped her in his chamber at his home.

“We have conducted a medical examination of the victim. She is in a stable condition. Arrangements are being made for her counselling and judicial statements,” said Pradeep Kumar Yadav, the district police chief.

On Thursday afternoon, the girl’s family filed a complaint with the police.

Yadav said during the investigation it was revealed that after the incident some locals assaulted Mondal.

“A mobile police team went to the spot and rescued him. He was treated at a local hospital and taken to the police station. He again fell ill and was admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital where he is still under treatment,” said the SP.

Sources in the administration said chief minister Mamata Banerjee directed the
SP to file a chargesheet within a week.

On Friday, relatives of the girl alleged that some Trinamool leaders were following the parents after the complaint was lodged and were exerting pressure on them.

“First, they took the receipt copy of the complaint from them. On Friday morning, they took the parents somewhere. They returned after some time. We suspect these people are trying to put pressure on them,” said a relative who didn’t want to
be named.

Khagen Murmu, the BJP MP of Malda North who visited the girl’s house, spoke along similar lines.

“I could only speak to the girl’s elder brother and sister-in-law. Her parents were taken away by some Trinamool leaders and we fear they are trying to save the accused,”
said Murmu.

TMC leaders, however, denied the charge. Abdur Rahim Boxi, the district TMC president, said the girl is in a government home and the parents wanted to meet her.

“We simply helped them. The accused quack is a BJP worker and thus, the BJP MP is trying to divert people’s attention. The accused should be punished,” said Boxi.

The incident also prompted the state to send Birbaha Hansda, the minister of state for forests, to Malda.

On Friday evening, Hansda, a popular tribal face in the ruling dispensation of the state, visited the girl’s house.

“I am here as per instructions of the chief minister and our party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. I have proposed to the family that I want to take the girl with me for proper care of her health and education. The BJP, on the other hand, is trying to politicize the issue,”
she said.

Blockade and strike

Armed with bows, arrows and other sharp weapons, hundreds of tribals came down to the streets in the Daulatpur area of NH512 in South Dinajpur and staged a blockade for around three hours, demanding exemplary punishment of a youth accused of raping a minor tribal girl in the district and also for trying to strangulate her.

On Wednesday night, while the girl was sleeping alone in her room, a youth, who is the son of a local Trinamool leader, broke in and raped her. He also tried to strangulate her but fled as her mother was alerted. The police later arrested him.

At around 12.30pm, the tribals blocked the highway, while sloganeering in protest. Due to the blockade, vehicular movement came to a halt on the route. Police officers rushed to the spot and spoke to the agitators. Finally, at around 3.30pm, the tribals withdrew.

The tribals, under the banner of Adivasi Joutha Mancha, an apex body of tribal organisations in South Dinajpur, announced a 12-hour general strike in the district on Monday.

“The strike has been called in protest of the heinous incident. A similar incident has been reported from Malda district and we are protesting it,” said a representative of
the Mancha.

Additional reporting by Kousik Sen in Raiganj