Chakdaha, Oct. 16: A day after the 15 year old gang-rape victim from Neulia-Ashrampara of Chakdaha had died, the bereaved family members accused the Chakdaha police authorities of sheer harassment and desperate refusal to accept their complaint against the five accused including the spurned lover of the girl. The girl’s parents alleged that the police forced them to drop the word ‘rape’ from their complaint and insisted to put it as ‘sexual harassment’.
The victim, a student of Bishnupur High School, had committed suicide consuming poison after she was gang raped by her spurned lover Kartick Biswas and four friends on October 13 evening while returning home from private tuition. The girl being unable to bear the humiliation had consumed poison on arrival at home and died on Sunday at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, where she was transferred fron JNM Hospitsal of Kalyani.
Nevertheless, the Chakdaha police officials desperately refused to accept any rape complaint. They kept the father of the victim to wait for long hours since early morning of Sunday and eventually refused to accept it until the word ‘rape’ as he alleged in the complaint is deleted.
The harassment continued till late in the evening. However, the reluctant police authorities eventually compelled to accept the complaint of rape when the angry villagers blocked Chakdaha-Banagram road after body of the victim arrived from Kolkata for the last rites. The villagers kept the road blocked for about one hour from 9.30pm accusing police of non cooperation until it accepted the rape complaint.
The Police authorities later informed the victim’s father that the accused youths were charged for rape and abetment to commit suicide.
Nevertheless, on Monday the bosses of Nadia police kept the media persons and the family members misleading.
While the Chakdaha police on a number of occasions throughout the day told the media persons that charge for rape was slapped against the accused, a senior officer of District police from Krishnanagar continued to tell a different story.
It appeared that the intention of the Chakdaha police was to make us silent through deliberate refusal and desperate non cooperation. They were trying to suppress the bitter reality of poor law and order in the area at the cost of our weakness. It was only after the local villagers raised voice in protest against the role of the police; they succumbed and accepted the complaint. But, it now further appears that it was notat all an honest act –Victim’s Sister
He refused to acknowledge any possible occurrence of rape (even without having any post mortem report) and suggested that that it was case of just ‘outraging of modesty’ (section 354 of IPC), wrongful restrain (section 341 of IPC), abetment to commit suicide (section 306 of IPC) and sexual assault (under section 8 of POCSO Act).
Elder sister of the deceased girl and a student of BA first year at Kanchrapara college, said: “Police desperately discouraged us to lodge any complaint of rape against the five accused where as I repeatedly told the police officials that in dying statement my sister clearly told me that she was gang raped. All the five youths who were present at the spot of crime had raped her threatening her to kill with a broken glass bottle of liquor”.
“At the police station the duty officer told us to drop the word ‘rape’ which we written in the complaint. They even refused to give us authorization to receive the body at RG Kar Hospital after post mortem”, said victim’s father, owner of a road side eatery on Chakdaha-Banagram road.
It appeared that the intention of the Chakdaha police was to make us silent through deliberate refusal and desperate non cooperation. They were trying to suppress the bitter reality of poor law and order in the area at the cost of our weakness. It was only after the local villagers raised voice in protest against the role of the police; they succumbed and accepted the complaint. But, it now further appears that that was not an honest act at all”, alleged victim’s sister.