Kolkata: Following the horrific rape and killing of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur, near Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has assured the minor’s parents that the culprits will receive capital punishment.
“It’s a crime of unspeakable horror. I have spoken to the victim’s parents and the government is doing everything that the family has asked for. They will get justice and the criminals will get capital punishment. I am happy that the family has reposed its trust in the government,” Suvendu told newspersons in Kolkata on Monday.
The CM informed that besides the main crime, three other cases have also been lodged in connection with the violence that followed, leading to mob lynching of a man suspected of being involved with the crime.
“There was an incident of mob lynching with a communal angle to it. Railway tracks were damaged, bringing back memories of the 2019 anti-CAA protests and the more recent anti-Waqf Act protest. Two CRPF jawans were assaulted, and a police vehicle was torched,” Suvendu said.
“We will surely provide justice to the family. But we will also make those frustrated souls, who locked themselves up in their rooms after getting defeated in the elections and who orchestrated the violence, suffer beyond their imagination,” Suvendu warned, apparently referring to local Trinamool Congress leaders suspected of being involved in Sunday’s unrest.
A six-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate the case.
Post-mortem findings
The body of the girl who went missing on Saturday after going out to buy a birthday gift for a friend was recovered on Sunday.
The post-mortem report indicated that the minor was sexually assaulted before being and thrown into a pond, reported PTI.
Injury marks were found in the girl’s private parts, besides scratch and bite marks on her body.
The girl’s head had either been struck with a heavy object or banged against a hard surface, a police officer said.
The report suggested that the child was alive when she was thrown into the pond. Water was found in her lungs and stomach.
Key accused arrested
The main accused was arrested on Monday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three.
“The investigation is at a crucial stage. We are examining all evidence. The preliminary post-mortem findings are being corroborated with other material collected during the probe,” a senior police officer said.
CCTV footage from the area purportedly showed the girl being taken away by four persons. The footage is being analysed to establish identities of the accused and their role in the crime.
