BJP supporters participate in a protest against the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl on April 22 in Kaliaganj, West Bengal. Photo Credit: ANI
There has been an uproar over the allegations Tribal girl raped and murdered in Kaliaganj The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in Uttar Dinjapur district of West Bengal are at war with each other over the incident.
On Sunday (April 23), NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo visited Kaliaganj and met the relatives of the deceased teenager. Mr. Kanungo said that he spoke to the parents of the deceased and prima facie it appears that their statement was not recorded by the police. NCPCR representatives said they were not allowed to meet the investigating officers and doctors who conducted the post-mortem.
Read also: Prohibitory orders imposed in West Bengal’s Kaliaganj after protest over girl’s death
The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) accused the NCPCR of “doing politics over dead bodies of children in West Bengal”. “Exposing an already distraught family to a large media despite their plea to be left alone to grieve. Child rights? Shameful. In complete violation of section 144 the NCPCR team sent a large contingent of media persons to their Taking the victim home to Kaliganj with her! Shameful,” WBCPCR said in a series of tweets. Reacting to WBCPCR’s allegations, Mr. Kanungo said, “I see incompetent government trying to protect the image of an incompetent chief minister. Don’t want to comment on any incompetent body acting at the behest of.”
This is not the first time that the state and national child rights protection bodies have publicly criticized each other. A few weeks ago, Mr Kanungo came to the state to probe incidents of violence and sexual abuse on children in Kolkata’s Tiljala and Malda’s Gazole and a similar public spat between the two quasi-judicial bodies.
injunction
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders were imposed in parts of Kaliaganj. Locals have been clashing with the police for the past few days over the alleged rape and death of a minor girl from the Rajbanshi community. The minor had gone missing on April 20 and her body was found in the area on April 21. The victim’s mother has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. West Bengal Police and Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja had said that prima facie it appeared that the girl had consumed poison. Arrests have also been made by the police in connection with the incident.
Questions were also raised as to how the police personnel were carrying the girl’s body when the violence had broken out. Videos aired by local news channels showed policemen dragging the body through the streets amid stone-pelting by locals. The opposition, especially the BJP, has targeted the West Bengal government over the incident. BJP leaders were not allowed to visit the area and meet the relatives of the deceased. BJP leaders like Shubhendu Adhikari had exposed the dynastic identity of the victim while targeting the Trinamool Congress government. Rajbanshis are a major community in North Bengal and dominate some Lok Sabha seats.