Brief Facts: On a rainy noon on 7th June 2013, a 20 year old BA 1st Year student of a college was returning home. She had gone to her college in the morning for an examination. After alighting from a bus stop at Kamduni near Barasat in North 24 Parganas at around 2.30 pm, she waited for her younger brother who used to accompany her to their home. She was seen waiting by her uncle, who was selling Chhatu there. After around 15 minutes of wait, with no sight of her brother, she decided to walk home. As it was raining heavily, her brother reached the bus stand at 3.20 pm and learnt from their uncle that she had left for home on foot.
The road she used to take was quite deserted because of heavy downpour. The brother of victim girl went along to trace his sister but couldn’t find her anywhere on the way. After frantic search by her family members and local villagers, she was found lying dead in a pool of blood near a fishery late evening. The body was brutalized and mutilated. When the news reached her other family members, they broke down in grief and were equally angry at how could anyone do such heinous act. They had their suspicions on some villagers.
Modus Operandi: The culprits were reportedly drinking hooch at a nearby project site where one of them worked there as a caretaker. When they saw the lonely girl passing, they pulled her in by force. She succumbed to injuries as she was raped by the miscreants and brutally murdered. Her body was then dumped near the boundary wall of a fishery.
Investigation: The victim girl’s brothers reached at the spot around 8.30 pm. After reaching there the family members informed the police. Based on the written complaint by the victim’s elder brother, the police registered the case. The investigation was entrusted upon the Criminal Investigation Department, West Bengal. The Investigating Officer, Inspector Anandamoy Chatterjee started the investigation along with a team of officers. The CID officials arrested nine persons in connection with the case after recording statements of the witnesses. After thorough interrogation of the accused persons, they admitted they were guilty before the Judicial Magistrate. The statements of two accused persons were judicially recorded under section 164 Cr PC. Medico-legal examinations and DNA analysis also confirmed their involvement.
Charge sheet and Trial: The investigation laid the path for filing the charge sheet of the nine accused persons and their offences were taken in to cognizance on 28.6.2013 and 10.7.02013 under sections 376A/376D/302/120B/201/342/109 of the Indian Penal Code. While one accused person died on 31.7.2015, two were acquitted from the case on January 28, 2016 due to want of proof.
Judgement: The trial was conducted at the Session Court at Barasat, and the Ld. Judge on January 30, 2016 passed the order of death sentence to three accused persons whereas three others were sentenced to life imprisonment.The convicts appealed to the Hon’ble High Court for the review of the judgement. The case is now pending in the High Court.
By Our Correspondent
