Kolkata: The death of an elderly woman, who was brutally gang raped about a month ago, has triggered a hue and cry in West Bengal with women leaders and activists of the BJP, demanding to meet the bereaved family, on Tuesday engaging with the police in a scuffle.
The woman from North 24-Parganas district’s Sandeshkhali was allegedly gang raped and pierced with sharp weapons on July 6 for protesting against a group of locals drinking outside her house.
The woman was admitted to Kolkata Medical College where she died on Monday.
Locket Chatterjee, the new President of state Bharatiya Janata Party’s women’s wing, and party activists were seen pushing and shoving the police personnel posted outside the morgue of NRS Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday evening, where the autopsy was slated to be done.
“We are being forcibly stopped by the police from meeting the bereaved family members or go near the body of the woman. Police have no right to stop us from entering a public hospital,” Chatterjee said.
Many BJP women activists present there engaged in a war of words with the police after they were stopped, and accused the police of working like “henchmen” of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
“Police are acting like henchmen of the state ruling party. How can they stop us like this? Is CrPC 144 (prohibitory orders) imposed in the hospital premises?” an activist fumed.
According to the son of the deceased woman, the attackers put metal rods and broken glass bottles into the woman’s body after raping her and left her to die in a nearby field.
“The doctors said she was pierced with iron rods. Broken shreds of glass were also found inside her body during the operations. She fought for 25 days before succumbing to the injuries,” the victim’s son said, demanding strict actions against her attackers.
The police said they are looking into the case with “acute seriousness”.
“Police are investigating the case of rape in Sandeshkhali with acute seriousness. The prime accused in the case has already been arrested,” Inspector General of Police Anuj Sharma said.
—IANS