This Article is From Jun 14, 2021

Bengal Rape Survivors In Supreme Court As Part Of Post-Poll Violence Plea

One of the rape survivors is a minor from the scheduled caste community. The other is a 60-year-old from East Midnapore district, allegedly gang-raped in front of her 6-year-old grandson.

Both survivors have sought to be impleaded in the post-poll violence plea.

Kolkata:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the plea of two gang rape survivors from West Bengal who want a Special Investigation Team or CBI to probe their cases.

One of the survivors is a minor from the scheduled caste community, allegedly gang-raped in Murshidabad district on May 9. The other is a 60-year-old from East Midnapore district, allegedly gang-raped on May 4 in front of her 6-year-old grandson.

Both have claimed they were victims of politically motivated violence.

The two alleged gang rape survivors have sought to be impleaded in a case that is already in the Supreme Court on post poll violence in Bengal.

In it, petitioner number one is the younger brother of Abhijit Sarkar who was allegedly beaten to death by a mob of Trinamool supporters outside his own home in Kolkata on May 2, the day votes were being counted in the state.

The second petitioner is the wife of Haran Adhikari of Sonarur in Kolkata's southern outskirts who was allegedly thrashed by Trinamool supporters reportedly led by an elected leader on May 14 and died two days later.

The gang rape survivors have vividly described their plight in their applications.

The minor girl has said not only was she gang-raped, but she was also left in a jungle to die. The next day, a local Trinamool leader allegedly came to her house and threatened to burn it down if she dared to complain to the police.

In her application to Supreme Court, the 60-year-old survivor said, "....never have such cruel crimes being committed against a citizen for her family's participation in the democratic process."

She has also stated that "while the rape was committed by five accused who are all named by the rape survivor and when the rape is confirmed by a medical report, the police has deliberately chosen to name only one of the five accused in the FIR."

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