After the initial probe, police arrested the accused and recovered the girl's body
Tension gripped a village in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district after the body of a Class 4 girl was found in a canal. Agitating locals alleged that the girl had been raped and murdered on her way back home from tuition in Kripakhali.
Senior police officials said the girl went missing on Friday evening and her parents informed the police by 9 pm and a case was lodged by midnight. After the initial probe, they arrested the accused and recovered the girl’s body from near the riverbank.
Baruipur Superintendent Of Police (SP) Palash Dhali said, “We were informed about the girl going missing at 9 pm. We started an investigation and identified an accused. An FIR was lodged by midnight. We arrested the accused and then the body was recovered.”
He said though the police had done everything they could, if there were any grievances among people, it would be looked into.
BJP Attacks TMC Govt
Expressing shock over the tragic incident, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Sukanta Majumdar took to X and attacked the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state over the poor law and order situation. He also shared visuals of massive protests by locals.
স্তম্ভিত! শিহরিত! কুলতলী থানা এলাকার কৃপাখালী এলাকায় টিউশন পড়ে ফেরার পথে বলপূর্বক তুলে নিয়ে গিয়ে ধর্ষণ করে নৃশংসভাবে খুন করা হলো চতুর্থ শ্রেণীর একজন নাবালিকা ছাত্রীকে। পরে নদীর চর থেকে গ্রামবাসীরা উদ্ধার করলেন ছোট্ট মেয়েটির নিথর দেহ। মহিলাদের সুরক্ষা দিতে ব্যর্থ বাংলার… pic.twitter.com/AlSsWh48lY— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) October 5, 2024
He wrote, “Stunned! A minor student of class IV was brutally raped and murdered on her way back from tuition in the Kripakhali area of Kultali Police station. Later, the villagers recovered the body of the little girl from the river bed. My question to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who failed to protect women, is, will there be no relief for the girls of Bengal even at the beginning of Devi Paksha? How many more Bengali girls will suffer this fate in your misrule?”
The incident comes to the fore at a time when Bengal and the rest of the nation are yet to come to terms with the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Doctors are still holding protests seeking justice and safety laws.
