Kolkata: Following an order by the Calcutta high court, to get the autopsy of a nine-year-old rape-murder victim done at the AIIMS Hospital in Kalyani, her body was transported from the Knatapukur morgue at Mominpur early today, October 7. Tensions are high in Joynagar, where the crime took place.
Local news reports have said that the area is thick with police, whose conduct in the case has come under the scanner. This is the second gruesome rape and murder in Bengal – this time of a minor – to have seen widespread outrage since the rape and murder of the junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. Protests over the latter are still ongoing.
The child’s body was discovered in a marsh close to her house, late on October 4. An accused was held that evening. Since October 5, the area has seen protests and public anger over allegations that police had not paid attention to the initial ‘missing’ complaint by the minor’s family. A police naka was set on fire.
A single bench of the Calcutta high court led by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh questioned why police had not invoked the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused despite clear allegations by the child’s family of rape.
“This Court, prima facie, is of the opinion, that at the initial stage of investigation prior to the post mortem examination having been conducted, the inquest report suggest acts of sexual offences being committed upon the person of the deceased, so appropriate provisions of law under relevant statutes should have been incorporated by the investigating agency,” it said, according to LiveLaw.
The state government had initially pleaded for the autopsy to take place in the presence of a Judicial Magistrate at Mominpur Police Morgue Hospital itself. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate at Baruipur had turned down this plea on October 5, following which the state government moved high court on October 6.
The victim’s father has requested that the examination take place in a hospital supervised and controlled by the Union government, LiveLaw has reported.
