A 40-year-old man accused of raping and killing a minor was lynched by an angry mob in north Bengal's Falakata. Mona Roy was tied to a tree and thrashed by villagers. He died by the time the cops rescued him and took him to the hospital. The incident took place on Friday.
The rape victim's parents had approached the police with a missing complaint, after which a search ensued. A piece of clothing led the cops to her body in a pond.
The incident sparked a political blame game with the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, raising doubts about the post-mortem examination. He said in an online post that he visited the victim's parents and was informed of alleged irregularities in the post-mortem.
"I got to know about the irregularities in the post-mortem procedures which might prove to be a hindrance later on when the matter would be on trial in a Court. I have assured the bereaved parents that we are there for any help that they might require, be it legal or anything else," he said in an online post.
Training his guns at his former mentor Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mr Adhikari said the Bengal government must introspect what's wrong with the system.
"This horrific and heart-shattering incident in Alipurduar district is another addition to the series of sexual crimes against children and women of the State. Mamata Banerjee Govt must introspect what's wrong with the system and how to tackle the situation proactively so that the prowling sexual predators can be stopped in their tracks before another unsuspecting innocent girl becomes the victim of such gruesome crime," he added.
Down south, another incident of kidnapping and rape emerged from North 24 Parganas, adjoining Kolkata. In Gaighata, a young girl was allegedly kidnapped when she was going for tuition on Friday evening and raped.
She allegedly attempted to die by suicide after the incident. The suspect is the nephew of a local Trinamool leader, locals suggest. He was arrested after her parents filed a complaint, stating that he had been harassing her for over a year.
He had admitted his mistake earlier when the matter was raised locally and apologized, according to the girl's family. But despite that, he forcibly took her away and raped her, after which she tried to hang herself at home, they said.
