Hanshkhali, April 11: Police have arrested a BA first-year student, son of a Trinamul’s panchayat member in connection with the gang rape of a minor girl who later died due to excessive bleeding. The accused identified as Brajo Gayali (alias Sohail), son of local panchayat member Samarendra Gayali, had allegedly raped the girl along with two other friends at his home during his birthday party when she suffered critical injuries in her private that caused bleeding that led death.
Brajo with the support of his father and his aides later forcible took away the body of the girl and cremate it at a local burning ghat in haste without any post-mortem or death certificate apparently to destroy evidence.
Police on Sunday had begun a probe for gang rape, murder, and tampering with evidence apart from charging him for aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offices (POCSO) Act.
He was produced before the ACJM court in Ranaghat on Monday which ordered two week’s police custody for him. At the same time, five persons including the girl’s mother, a rural medicine practitioner, and three others persons were also produced before the court where they recorded their confessional statement under Code of Criminal Procedure 164.
Meanwhile, police have detained two persons for interrogation including one of Sohail’s friends, who was present at the party and suspected to have raped the victim girl.
The bizarre incident that occurred on April 4, came to light only on Saturday night, five days after the crime, when the girl’s mother had lodged a complaint with the help of Child Line, against the prime accused Braja, his father, and two other friends.
Police while conducting the probe looked into a possible triangle love affair involving another youth with the girl apart from the accused.
However, in absence of any material evidence, it has become tough for the sleuths to substantiate the allegations of gang rape. “In case of rape, the victim herself is the main evidence. Her medical examination report matters a lot for the probe apart from her statement. But in this case, the victim died and her body has been burnt to destroy the pieces of evidence of alleged torture. We are literally depending on witness accounts which become fragile during the prosecution and cross-examination”, an officer of Ranaghat police district said.
“Quite unfortunately the body of the girl burnt in the presence of her father. This has been alleged by the girl’s mother in her complaint and for which we have made him an accused in this case”, the official said.
Speaking to The NfN Addition SP of Ranaghat police district Rupantar Sengupta said, “We are investigating all possible angles. All the findings being cross-examined repeatedly with all available witnesses so as come to the possible conclusion of this unusual probe”.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also raised this question while speaking at Biswa Bangal fairground on Monday afternoon she said, “Victim girl’s body has been burnt without informing anybody. How could police probe such a case?”
Police and multiple sources said that on April 4 the victim girl, aged 15 went to Sohail’s home in the afternoon to attend his birthday party in Gyarapota village where she was allegedly gang-raped. While returning home on her cycle she fell ill with abdominal pain when a woman spotted her lying on the road writhing in pain. The woman said, “The girl was bleeding profusely from her private parts..I with the support of two other persons took her back home and advised her parents to get her treated immediately”.
Her father talked to a quack for medicines. But her bleeding did not stop and the girl eventually died later in the night.
Knowing about the girl’s death Sohail and his father rushed into her residence when they took control of the body and insisted to cremate it without informing the police or any doctor. “I was forced to accept their whip and performed her last rites under threat…They also threatened us with dire consequences if we disclose the incident”, the girl’s father said. But his wife with the support of the Childline lodged a police complaint on Saturday night.
Speaking to reporters SP Ranaghat police district Sayak Das said, “We are trying to find out the persons who were present at the birthday party. We came to know that no other family members were present at the home of the accused on the day. The girl took a drink there …We are examining why the girl’s family took so time to lodge a complaint and cremated the body. We have confiscated the mobile phone of the girl and accused…All possible angles are being examined”.
Meanwhile, a 12 hours Hanskhali bandh called by BJP passed off peacefully on Monday. Normal life was paralyzed due to the bandh. Later in the evening a team if the state women’s commission visited the girl’s home.