Malda: A 16-year-old girl, missing since Saturday night, was found dead on Sunday morning in North Dinajpur, triggering a road blockade, ransacking of shops and arson that destroyed at least eight vehicles, including five belonging to the government.
The Madhyamik passout’s body was found in a bush behind her house by residents of Boslampur village within Chopra police station limits. They also found two mobile phones and a bicycle at the spot.
The girl was taken to Islampore Subdivisional Hospital, where she was declared “brought dead”. It is suspected that the minor has been raped and poisoned to death.
The owner of a mobile phone and bicycle was identified, agitating the villagers. The minor boy who is the mobile’s owner is missing.
Describing the incident as a rape and murder, BJP demanded the culprit’s immediate arrest. Party supporters blocked National Highway-31 by burning tyres. Apart from Chopra, roads were blocked in other parts of the district.
A Chopra police team that tried to lift the road blockade were pelted with stones; even bombs were hurled and two police vans torched. Some nearby shops were ransacked and three buses set ablaze. A huge force led by additional police superintendent Kartik Mandal, along with combat force, used tear gas and resorted to lathicharge to control the mob.
District BJP president Biswajit Lahiri said: “The girl is the sister of our booth president. She was raped and killed by TMC-backed goons. This heinous crime is another example of how a particular community has been tortured by TMC-sponsored goons in north Bengal.” He warned of a “greater agitation unless the culprit is arrested within 24 hours”.
Trinamool reacted sharply to BJP’s allegation. Local MLA Hamidur Rahman said: “The death is certainly unfortunate but we have come to know that the girl had an affair with the boy, who were classmates. It is unbelievable the boy, after allegedly killing the girl, left his bicycle and mobile there. Still, police have begun probe. Let them do their job.”
BJP, he added, was doing “filthy politics” over the issue and encouraging violence.
Rahman also refuted BJP’s claim that the girl’s family were BJP supporters. “The victim’s uncle is our active block leader and the family are TMC supporters,” he said.
In Siliguri, minister in charge of tourism Goutam Deb said: “Tomorrow, a delegation comprising MP Mousam Noor, MoS Golam Rabbani and I will meet the victim’s family. There is no point doing politics on this issue.”
Islampore police superintendent Sachin Makkar said: “After the discovery of a girl’s body, some people turned violent. We have controlled the situation; police force is there.” He added no arrests had been made so far because no complaint had yet been lodged.
Sources, however, claimed that the missing boy’s father had been picked up by police for interrogation.
