Congress leader accused of raping minor girl

A class V student was being allegedly raped for the past three months by a Congress leader at English Bazar in Malda.

The police were yet to arrest the accused.

Police said the girl used to go to the house of the Congress leader Kamal Mondal to take drawing tuition. He used to take the girl in his room by promising candies to rape her.

He had allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she discloses that she was being raped to her parents. The girl used to keep silent and never disclosed it to her parents.

Like every week she had gone to take tuition on Monday and she was again allegedly raped. She fell ill after returning home and disclosed that she fell victim to sexual assault by the accused Congress leader. Her parents took her to Molepur Primary Healthcare Centre where she was admitted.

The victim’s parents lodged a complaint with Malda police station against Mondal.

Police went to the house of the accused to arrest him. But he had fled before the police had reached.

A senior police officer said that the girl was in a traumatised state. It had also been difficult to speak to the victim’s mother as she had also fainted failing to bear the shock of such a crime on her 10-year-old daughter.

The incident led to tension in the area as hundreds of people in the locality staged a demonstration in the area demanding immediate arrest of the accused. They alleged that his family members had helped the accused to flee. The agitation was withdrawn after senior police officers intervened.

Police questioned the family members of the accused. His family members, however, told the police that Mondal has been framed. They also brushed aside the allegations of helping Mondal to flee.