Kaliaganj murder: Bengal child rights panel accuses NCPCR of playing politics
Appealing people to not share misinformation regarding the death of a teenager, the West Bengal police on Sunday morning said the post-mortem report suggests poisoning as the cause of death of the 17-year-old girl in Kaliaganj.
No major injury marks were found on the body of the teenager to suggest sexual assault, police sources said. The incident, which led to the arrest of two people, triggered violent protests and police action on two consecutive days as locals claimed the victim was raped and murdered.
In view of the sensitivity of the case, the police said a three-member team was formed to conduct the post-mortem and the entire process has been videographed as well.
Also read: Fresh violence in Bengal’s Kaliaganj over teenager’s rape, murder
Prohibitory orders clamped
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were also clamped in parts of Kaliaganj in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on Sunday following clashes between police and locals over the death of a 17-year-old girl, an official said.
The prohibitory orders were imposed hours before the visit of representatives of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) led by its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo to the deceased’s family. Kanoongo, however, was allowed to visit the girl’s family along with three other representatives of the NCPCR. He was accompanied by police.
‘Sole purpose to malign state’
Meanwhile, as soon as the post-mortem report came out, the West Bengal child rights body accused its central counterpart of doing politics “with the dead bodies of children” and “blatantly” violating laws to malign the state.
Doing politics with the dead bodies of children in West Bengal by the keepers of child rights! Shameful NCPCR !
— WBCPCR (@WBCPCR) April 23, 2023
“Doing politics with the dead bodies of children in West Bengal by the keepers of child rights! Shameful NCPCR!” the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) tweeted. WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy also visited the crime scene on Sunday morning amid road blockades and collected reports on the incident.
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“The NCPCR blatantly violated the CPCR Act and entered West Bengal illegally with the sole purpose of maligning the state. They took along with them a large contingent of journalists to the deceased’s house in complete violation of the prohibitory orders. This is shameful. They should have informed us about their visit and taken our feedback in the case,” said the WBCPCR.
Eerie calm at Kaliaganj
An eerie calm prevailed at Kaliaganj amid heavy deployment of police forces in the area. Police have arrested six people in connection their involvement in clashes with police and vandalism following the recovery of the minor’s body from a canal on Friday.
A case was filed under Section 302 (murder) of IPC and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint filed by the girl’s mother. The preliminary post-mortem report revealed there was no injury to the body, Uttar Dinajpur SP Md Sana Akhtar claimed.
(With Agency inputs)
