Officials have confirmed on Sunday that a four-year-old girl was abducted from a railway shelter and "sexually assaulted" in Tarakeshwar, in West Bengal's Hooghly district. The distressing incident is reported to have occurred on Saturday while the child was asleep next to her grandmother at the railway shed, according to officials.
The minor was discovered lying unconscious and unclothed, with visible injury marks, near a local drain on Saturday afternoon, an official reported.
The girl, understood to belong to the Banjara community, was initially transported to a local hospital before being referred to the Chandannagar Sub-divisional Hospital.
A police officer confirmed that one person has been detained in connection with the incident and is currently being questioned. A case has also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Local Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Ramendu Singha Roy told the media, "It is a shocking incident, but it took place in an area under the jurisdiction of the Railways. There ought to be greater security measures and surveillance by the rail police. We stand by the girl's family, and the police have commenced an investigation."
Archana Majumdar, a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW), stated that the commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, but added, “We will examine the legal parameters, as it also falls under the jurisdiction of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. If permitted, I will visit the family in a day or two.”
In the meantime, Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, alleged that the Tarakeshwar Police were initially hesitant to register a First Information Report (FIR) over the matter.
Taking to X, Adhikari accused the police of trying to "bury the crime" in an effort to shield the state's "fake law and order image by suppressing the truth.”
"Mamata Banerjee, you are a Failed Chief Minister. Under your rule, West Bengal’s law & order has hit ROCK BOTTOM," he claimed in his post.
Bharatiya Janata Party activists also staged a protest demonstration outside the Tarakeshwar police station, demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators.
Also read: 14-yr-old girl gang-raped in Kolkata, three arrested
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