Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sought capital punishment for the accused in the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in West Bengal’s Kultali two days ago.
“I want the police to register the Kultali case under POCSO Act and ensure that the culprits get capital punishment within three months… Crime is crime; there is no religion or caste. Strong action should be taken against the criminals,” Mamata said while inaugurating a Durga Puja.
The CM also said that media trials in rape cases must stop as it could hamper investigations.
The 10-year-old girl was untraceable since Friday morning since she went for tuition. Late that night, her body was found in a pond, following which irate villagers and family members went on a rampage at the police station, accusing cops of delaying tactics.
Mamata has been under fire in the junior doctor’s rape and murder case at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. Now, this latest crime has pushed Mamata’s police force under more pressure.
The West Bengal government faced embarrassment when the Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered a second post-mortem be conducted on the schoolgirl.
The state government moved the high court after the victim’s family asked for a post-mortem in a Central government hospital in the presence of judicial magistrate.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed that the second post-mortem be conducted at AIIMS Hospital in Kalyani on Monday in the presence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) of Baruipur court.
