Hours after one of the prime accused in the alleged gang rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Baruipur was killed in a police encounter early morning on Wednesday, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya defended the state government’s handling of the investigation.
Bhattacharya said that the government was duty-bound to implement the commitments made in the party’s election manifesto, including ensuring justice for victims of crimes against women.
The political row over the case intensified after Prabhas Mondal was shot dead by police after he allegedly attempted to escape by snatching the service firearm of an escorting officer while being taken to reconstruct the crime scene.
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Earlier in the day, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested a fourth accused, Kabir Molla, taking the total number of arrests in the case to four.
Reacting to allegations by the Trinamool Congress that the encounter was part of an attempt to shield the key accused and derail the investigation, Bhattacharya dismissed the charges as “misinformation”, saying the people of West Bengal had little faith in the opposition’s claims.
“The people know the Trinamool. They have seen the Kamduni incident and witnessed 15 years of Trinamool rule. The party’s statements carry no credibility. They may continue to spread misinformation, but society will not accept it,” he told reporters.
Bhattacharya said that the BJP government is obliged to honour the promises made to the electorate.
“Leaving party politics aside, the government formed by the people is now the Government of West Bengal…the state government is duty-bound to implement the commitments contained in the party’s manifesto and fulfil the promises made to the people who brought it to power,” he said.
He said the government’s response to the Baruipur case reflected its commitment to ensuring justice and maintaining zero tolerance towards crimes against women.
Drawing a parallel with the 2013 Kamduni gang rape and murder case, Bhattacharya urged Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to reopen the investigation into the previous government’s handling of the case.
“No political party should seek political mileage from such incidents. I appeal to the Chief Minister to reopen the Kamduni case file. The manner in which the investigation was conducted under the previous administration should be examined once again,” he said.
Bhattacharya alleged that several accused in the Kamduni case had subsequently been acquitted because of deficiencies in the investigation and said the present government should review the case.
Responding to comments by senior CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who alleged that the prime accused in the Baruipur case had been eliminated and evidence tampered with, the BJP state president said, “With due respect to Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, I would only say that the less he speaks, the better it is for him and for his party.”
The alleged rape and murder of the minor has triggered widespread outrage across South 24 Parganas ever since her body was found in a pond in the Suryapur area of Baruipur on Sunday, a day after she went missing.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has directed police to ensure a swift and thorough investigation and warned of stringent action if any negligence is found in the handling of the victim’s missing complaint.