In a shocking incident, a three-year-old girl was dragged inside a bus and raped. The incident happened in Canal (west) road in northern Kolkata on Monday afternoon. According to reports, the 45-year-old cleaner of the bus, Sheikh Munna, has been arrested by the police.
The little girl was playing with her five-year-old brother when their ball fell near the luxury bus parked nearby. The little girl went to fetch the ball when Sheikh Munna, the cleaner, dragged her inside and closed the door. The girl’s brother was witness to the incident as he started banging on the door and pleading with Sheikh to let go of his sister.
The little boy, seeing that his efforts are of no use, ran to fetch his mother and informed her about the crime. The mother of the children, who is a widowed rag picker, ran with her son to the bus. Her cries had alerted the neighbours who together prised open the door of the bus and caught Munna.
According to an eyewitness, who is also the uncle of the child, the little girl was lying in a pool of blood on a seat when they entered the bus. Her clothes were torn and she was bleeding profusely. Sheikh Munna had blood on his hands and trousers. The neighbours reportedly thrashed Sheikh Munna before handing him over to the police.
The child was rushed to a private nursing home and then to the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. According to the doctors at the hospital, the child was bleeding profusely when brought. One senior doctor of the hospital has stated that the child’s condition was serious but she is expected to survive. He added that signs of brutalisation were clear on her.
An officer of Kolkata police has stated that Sheikh Munna was arrested at the crime scene after the neighbours called the police. He added that forensic experts have collected blood samples and strains from the scene and they are waiting for test reports from the hospital to officially confirm rape.
Crimes against women have been rampant in West Bengal. There are several earlier cases where the state machinery has failed the victims. This brutal rape of a three-year-old has left the city in shock.
