Alleged gang rape and murder of Class 8 tribal student sparks tension

Alleged gang rape and murder of a student in Kadirgunj village in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal has sparked tension. The victim, a class 8 student belonged to the tribal community.

The incident occurred at Kadirgunj village under the Karandighi Police Station in North Dinajpur.

On Friday night the parents of the victim had gone to a nearby village to attend Raas celebrations. The victim who is the eldest of the 4 daughters was sleeping in the veranda.

It is believed that the assailants had stifled her and carried her to the nearby Litchi groves where they gang raped her. Followed this they allegedly strangled her to death and left the dead body on the veranda.

The parents returned late at night. They initially thought that their daughter was in deep sleep. However when she did not respond to their calls, closer inspection revealed the horrific truth.

She had bled from the nose and her body bore marks on injury. There was mud and grass all over her body.
Police state prima facie she was taken to the Litchi groves and gang raped and then strangled to death. The groves signs of resistance. A post mortem has been conducted.

"Situation is tense. As a preventive measure we have deployed additional police force to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control" stated Ayesha Rani, District Magistrate.

"We have given 72 hours deadline to the police to arrest the culprits. If they fail to do so we will bring the district to a grinding halt" threatened Samuel Marandi of the Tribal Coordination Committee.

The incident has stoked fear of a rerun of the July 15 incident in which a group of tribals allegedly vandalised a bus stand, ransacked and torched shops in Raigunj, the district head quarters, North Dinajpur.

The agitators were protesting against the "molestation and attempted rape" of two tribal women near the waiting room of Raigunj bus stand on July 9.

Later, local shop owners blocked roads in protest and called for an indefinite strike.

OneIndia News