Minor’s murder case: ‘BJP doing politics over a dead body, creating ruckus’

Kolkata: TMC leader Kunal Ghosh launched a seething attack on BJP over the Kaliyagunj rape and murder case.

He stated that the BJP was doing ‘politics over a dead body’.

He said: “The way the police carried the body of the minor girl is saddening. This is unfortunate...Who are the people who are chasing the police? People of BJP are creating a ruckus there.”

The body of a minor girl, allegedly raped and murdered, was discovered on the banks of a pond in Kaliyagunj on Friday morning.

Followed by which clashes broke out between the locals and police and according to reports at least three people were injured, however, sources say that the situation has been brought under control. The locals demanded exemplary punishment for the criminals.

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday in connection with the incident, police said. The 17-year-old girl, whose body was found in a canal in Kaliyaganj Police Station area on Friday, knew the man, Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Sana Akhtar said, identifying him as the prime accused.

A case has been filed under IPC section 302 (murder) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on the complaint filed by the girl’s mother, he said.

“We are investigating the case from all angles,” he added.

Several shops and e-rickshaws were set on fire by the mob, which demanded the arrest of those behind the incident.

Roads were also blocked and stones were hurled at the police, sources said. The RSS-backed ABVP gheraoed the Kaliyaganj Police Station, while BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar sat on a dharna outside the SP office in Raiganj.

Attacking the BJP, Kunal said: “Earlier, questions were raised about the law and order during similar incidents in the state, however, though sad, these incidents were either a fallout of personal issues or suicides, which the BJP used for political mileage. There are examples of similar incidents in several states like the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, including Lakhimpur, but nothing is said about them.” He said that the saffron party is doing politics over a dead body, instead they should look at the situation in Uttar Pradesh.

Representatives of West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) visited Kaliyagunj and met the family of the teenage girl. The Commission’s chairperson Sudeshna Roy met the family of the victim on Saturday afternoon. She also spoke with the SP and DM and sought a report on the incident.