Kolkata: A five-member fact-finding committee constituted by BJP chief JP Nadda, which arrived in Hanskhali in West Bengal’s Nadia district where a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped, on Friday demanded an apology from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her condemnable remarks on the incident.
The fact-finding committee also slammed the TMC government over the declining law and order situation in the state and demanded the immediate imposition of President’s Rule in Bengal, as per ANI.
“A woman CM (Mamata Banerjee) is making condemnable statements about the rape of a 14-year-old & overlooking the matter. She should apologize. We demand President’s rule in the state; she should quit her seat,” Khushbu Sundar, BJP leader told ANI.
Hanskhali rape-murder | A woman CM (Mamata Banerjee) is making condemnable statements about the rape of a 14-year-old & overlooking the matter. She should apologize. We demand President’s rule in the state; she should quit her seat: Khushbu Sundar, BJP pic.twitter.com/OmgIZWMrtm
– ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2022
The committee includes BJP MP Rekha Verma, Uttar Pradesh Minister Baby Rani Maurya, Tamil Nadu MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, Khusbu Sunder and West Bengal MLA Rupmitra Chaudhary. The BJP’s fact-finding team met the victim’s family in Hanskhali,
On Thursday, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team visited the residences of the Nadia gang-rape victim and the key accused to collect forensic samples. CBI DIG Akhilesh Singh along with CBI Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay inspected the residence of the prime accused in which the minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by him and his friends in Ganrapota Bilpara Village.
They, however, found that the house of the key accused in the case was locked. The lock was then broken after which CBI officials entered the house. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team collected samples from the alleged crime scene at the residence of the accused.
All this comes days after a 14-year-old girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped in Hanskhali in Nadia district earlier this month. The victim`s family has accused the son of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader in the case. Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted permission to the CBI to investigate the case.
In its detailed order, the High Court noted that in order to have a “fair investigation” and instil confidence in the family of the victim, the case is being handed over to the CBI. The state investigating agency was asked to hand over all papers relating to the investigation, as well as the custody of the accused to the central agency. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on May 2.
A case under sections 376(2)(G) (gangrape), 302 (murder), 204 (tampering with evidence) of the IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO) Act was registered in the case. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sougata Roy said the West Bengal government is extremely concerned about crime against women and even a single incident is quite a shame for the party.
“Everyone is extremely concerned about crime against women. Even a single incident in the state under the leadership of a woman Chief Minister is quite a shame for us. We have to have zero tolerance in these matters. I hope police and administration will take care of this,” Roy said.
Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned if the minor girl was actually raped or had a love affair that got her pregnant. “How do you know if she was raped? The police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death. I had asked them. Was she pregnant or had a love affair or was sick? Even family knew it was a love affair. If a couple is in a relationship, how can I stop them,” the chief minister said during an address at the inauguration of the `Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan`
“This is not Uttar Pradesh that I can do that in name of Love Jihad,” she further said.