HC asks state to submit probe progress reports in 5 rape cases

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to submit the case diary along with a status report pertaining to the investigation into the five recent rape cases that are reported in various districts of Bengal.

On Monday, the lawyers of the West Bengal BJP legal cell filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking CBI probe into five recent rape cases in the state. The lawyers have expressed distrust in the state police in the five rape cases in Santiniketan, Namkhana, Pingla, Mainaguri and Netra.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday had directed Special Commissioner of Kolkata Police Damayanti Sen to oversee probe into the four recent cases of rape that was reported from some places in the state. Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj had said that past experiences have shown that IPS officer Sen is capable of ensuring an impartial inquiry into four rape cases, which have been reported over the last one month from Deganga and Matia in North 24 Parganas, English Bazar in Malda, and Bansdroni in

south Kolkata.

While a 40-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped on April 8 by five men in West Bengal's Namkhana village, a 45-year-old man from Netra village was arrested on April 13 for allegedly raping and threatening a minor girl.

A tribal girl was allegedly gang-raped by five men on April 14. This apart, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped in Nadia district on April 4.

The next day of hearing is on April 26.