Self destruction or assault murder? A week after her death, the Kaliaganj girl's body is still awaiting funeral rites.
One day after going missing, a 17-year-old tribal girl was found dead in Kaliaganj. She is said to have been raped and killed by her family. The police claim that it was a suicide. Even though it has been a week, protests in this Bengal town have not subsided.
Ankush Pandey
There is outrage among local people and an assurance to uncover "reality" behind the demise of a minor ancestral young lady at Kaliaganj in West Bengal. While the police say the 17-year-old young lady, whose body was tracked down in a trench, had no outer wounds, local people charge that the minor was assaulted and killed. In addition, the girl's body is still awaiting her final rites. Additionally, a week has passed.
The humble community in Uttar Dinajpur region, found exactly 18 km from the Bangladesh line, has not seen a soothing day over the course of the last week. Locals have repeatedly clashed with police since the girl's body was found, leading authorities to issue prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.
On Friday, the BJP declared a 12-hour bandh in Uttar Dinajpur, which is in North Bengal. Some of North Bengal's seven districts saw occasional violence.
MYSTERY OVER MINOR’S DEATH
On April 20, the Rajbongshi teenager, who was 17 years old, left her home to go to tuition classes. She then vanished. Her body was discovered floating in a canal a day later.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Md. Sana Akhtar stated after the incident that the preliminary post-mortem report showed that the body had not been injured and that a bottle of poison had been found nearby.
West Bengal Boss Priest Mamata Banerjee said that the youngster kicked the bucket because of a relationship and that specialists have affirmed that she passed on subsequent to consuming toxic substance.
Locals, however, disagree. They guarantee that the young lady was assaulted and killed.
Ruby Roy, a Sahebghata resident who spoke with India Today, stated that the police have not been able to determine the truth even though days have passed since the minor girl's death.
The deceased's family refused to perform the funeral rites and buried the body near her home in Kaliaganj. Ruby Roy stated that the family is hoping a CBI team will investigate her death.
Jaidev Saha, a different local, asserted that the person arrested in connection with the incident had not yet had his phone seized.
In addition, the locals assert that the police did not even make it to the teen's home to collect written statements from the family, as claimed by the locals. The locals have asserted that the minor girl was gang-raped and killed, and they have also accused the authorities of concealing the facts and mischaracterizing the incident as a suicide.
LAPSES BY POLICE IN PROBING GIRL’S DEATH?
Priyank Kanoongo, chair of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), claims that the state police made serious mistakes when they investigated the death of the 17-year-old girl.
The Raiganj Police's investigation into the girl's death has been marred by serious oversights. I dread that proof might be messed with in light of the dithering by the police. I accept the Mamata Banerjee government is attempting to save the guilty parties," Kanoongo was cited as saying by news office PTI.
It is difficult to believe the claim made by the NCPCR chief that the police have been attempting to conceal the girl's death as a suicide. I have seen her imprint sheets and addressed her loved ones. She was an exceptionally brilliant understudy. He stated, "It is very difficult to believe that she committed suicide."
After a video showed officers dragging the girl's body, the way the police handled the situation also came under fire. The video, which became a web sensation via online entertainment stages, set off far and wide analysis and prompted the suspension of four Partner Sub Investigators (ASIs).
UNEASY CALM PREVAILS IN KALIAGANJ
Locals in Kaliaganj set fire to several shops and erected roadblocks with burning tires shortly after the girl's body was discovered floating in the canal. This prompted the police to use tear gas shells and charge batons to bring the situation under control. As the circumstance deteriorated in the town, Quick Activity Power (RAF) faculty were additionally sent. Soon, prohibitive orders were issued, and the region witnessed a significant police presence.
Before the small town was shook once more by violence, the area experienced an eerie calm.
As they protested against alleged "police inaction" in the case, Adivasi and Rajbongshi community members organized a "Thana gherao" protest on Tuesday, April 25. Despite the barricades, the crowd continued to throw stones at police officers.
The crowd then broke into the police station and set it ablaze.
11 people were detained by the police for their role in the violence. After the crowd set fire to the police station, the town saw a significant increase in the number of security personnel.
On Thursday, prohibitive orders were issued once more, and internet services were stopped in the town, which now appears deserted.
MAMATA BANERJEE GOVT UNDER FIRE
Arun Halder, vice-chair of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of protecting a specific community for vote-bank politics as the controversy over the investigation into the death of the Kaliaganj tribal girl continued.
In the meantime, on Friday, April 28, the BJP called for a 12-hour bandh in districts of north Bengal to protest "atrocities on the tribal community" in light of the death of a girl at Kaliaganj.
"A reign of terror has been unleashed by the TMC in several parts of north Bengal. We have decided to call for a 12-hour bandh tomorrow in protest of the state administration and the ruling party's atrocities against the tribal community in the north Bengal districts. "These atrocities are unprecedented," stated Sukanta Majumdar, president of the BJP in the state.
Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda are all parts of the North Bengal region.
The ruling Trinamool Congress decried the call for a bandh and said that the saffron camp was trying to "disturb the peaceful atmosphere of West Bengal."
"The police experience reestablished harmony in Kaliaganj. However, prior to the panchayat elections, the BJP is determined to politicize and communalize the issue. These attempts to disturb the peace in the area would be defeated by the state's citizens. Kunal Ghosh, a spokesperson for the TMC, stated, "The BJP is attempting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of West Bengal."
Region Congress pioneer Mohit Sengupta considered the ancestral young lady's demise a "uncommon occurrence in a humanized society".
The incident is being covered up by the police. Mohit Sengupta stated, "We want a CBI inquiry into the incident."
