Amidst several reports of post-poll violence in West Bengal, an incident of rape and murder has come to the fore from the state’s West Medinipur district. A second-year college student belonging to the SC/ST community, has reportedly been brutally raped and murdered in Jamna village in Pingla block, Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal.
According to local news reports, the 21-year-old student of Debra College in West Medinipur had gone missing on Monday (May 3) afternoon. When she did not return home until evening, her family members started looking for her. After much searching, the girl’s body was found in an abandoned mud house adjacent to a newly constructed house. According to the reports, the girl’s body was found half-naked.
The family of the deceased alleged that she was killed after being brutally raped.
After learning about the incident, Pingla police reached the spot and sent the body of the deceased for post mortem.
Based on FIR filed by the victim’s family at Pingla police station, the local police arrested two masons and their female aide, who helped in the construction work of the house behind the deceased’s kaccha house. They have been identified as Bikash Murmu from Belda, Chhotu Munda from Jharkhand and Tapati Patra from Sabang.
According to reports, additional SP, Kharagpur, Rana Mukherjee said that the accused have confessed to the crime. While Bikash and Chhotu raped the girl, Tapati kept a watch outside to door. The autopsy report has confirmed rape, said the IPS officer, furthering that the police are reconstructing the crime scene to investigate the case.
Ever since the incident came to the fore, locals in the area held a protest demanding justice for the girl. Youths organised a sit-in protest carrying placards and banners saying demanding justice for the victim.
Following the incident, some social media users claimed that the girl was a BJP supporter, and her rape and murder was part of ongoing TMC violence against BJP and other opposition parties. But so far no evidence supporting that claim has emerged.
