Calcutta HC orders CBI probe in Bengal teen’s rape, murder case – India Today

The Calcutta High Court has ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Bengal’s Nadia district. The police have been asked to hand over the case to the central agency.

The CBI should take the case for a “fair investigation into the matter and to instill confidence in the family members of the victim and also the residents of the locality and the state”, the court said in its order.

The state government has been asked to provide full protection to the victim’s family and witnesses in the case.

The court also pointed out serious lapses in the investigation done by the Bengal Police.

Also Read: | TMC MP Mahua Moitra condemns rape-murder of Bengal teen as Mamata Banerjee blames victim

Statements of the witnesses were not videotaped by the police as is required by law, the court said.

“The victim was found on the road bleeding and was taken away by someone. But the blood-stained mud has not been seized from the spot. No crime scene reconstruction of the incident has been done. The chemical test to trace the bloodstains was not done. The clothes of the victim have not been seized for DNA sampling. The clothes of the accused, which he was wearing at the time of the incident, have not been seized,” the court noted.

“The bedsheet, which was used at the time of commission of offence, which may be filled with blood-stains, has not been seized,” the court added.

“The entire case may be based upon the circumstantial evidence because the dead body has been cremated hurriedly, therefore, minute investigation with advanced technology is required,” it said.

Pulling up the state police for a lackadaisical probe and taking note of the fact that the accused is the son of a Trinamool Congress leader, the court said, “We find that the investigation suffers from serious lapses in several important aspects. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the accused is the son of a powerful leader of the ruling party and that there is material available in the case diary indicating that the family members of the victim have been threatened.”

Also Read: | She should clean her mouth with phenyl: Suvendu Adhikari slams Mamata for remark over minor’s rape

“The fact that there is no Medico-legal Case (MLC), no post-mortem report and no death certificate also creates a suspicion about an attempt to suppress the entire incident and to wipe out the evidence. Learned Counsel for the State submits that there is no death certificate because there is no crematorium in the village, but the said statement appears to be incorrect because a perusal of the case diary shows that the victim was cremated in Shyamnagar Atirpur Burning Ghat (Shamsan). The case diary further reflects that the rape may have been committed upon the victim not only by the person named in the FIR but by other persons also,” the court said as it asked the CBI to investigate the gruesome case.

Bengal is at the centre of a political outrage over the alleged rape and murder of the girl and the subsequent comments made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the incident. Banerjee’s victim-blaming drew the ire of political parties and locals as she questioned the rape: “Was she raped? Was she pregnant or had a love affair?”

The Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, lambasted the chief minister for her atrocious comments, saying that she should wash her mouth with phenyl and bleaching powder.

Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra condemned the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Nadia district, assuring the family that the “full extent of the law will be implemented” to punish the culprits.

Also Read: | Mamata Banerjee’s rape comment draws widespread ire

“The boy is an adult and if he has had a sexual relationship with a minor, then that is rape according to the law and he will be prosecuted accordingly,” she said, taking a diametrically opposite stand from her party’s chief. Incidentally, the accused is the son of a local TMC leader.

The teen had gone to a birthday party when she was allegedly raped. She died the next day. The victim’s family alleged that the body was cremated without an autopsy under pressure from a local TMC panchayat leader, whose son Braj Gopal Goala (21) is the prime accused in the case. A police complaint was lodged five days after the incident on April 10.

“On April 4, my daughter went to a birthday party on the invitation of Samar Goala’s son. They dropped my daughter off at 7:30 pm. My wife, who was home at the time, told me that one woman and two men had come to drop her. We don’t know who they were,” the girl’s father said.

“She was bleeding after returning from that party. Early next morning, as her condition deteriorated, we went to look for a doctor. By the time we returned, she had died. She was raped by Samar Goala’s son. My daughter and that boy were in a relationship,” he added.

“Those who came to drop my daughter that evening threatened to torch our house if we opened our mouths. That is why we didn’t say anything to anyone. But now I am demanding punishment,” the girl’s mother said.