Bengal Police failed to do what the Delhi Police could in the infamous Nirbhaya case. That is the common refrain among the people of Kamduni, a none-descript hamlet in the northern-fringes of Kolkata.
In what could do sufficient harm to Trinamool Congress’ women vote base, the Calcutta High Court on Friday set free a person convicted with capital punishment and lowered the death sentences of his two partners to imprisonment for life besides setting other three persons free — all on account of lack of strong evidence.
The villagers and the family members exploded inside the High Court premises alleging how the police connived with the guilty because they came from the family of local Trinamool Congress leaders including panchayat members.
While the sessions court had awarded capital punishment to Amin Ali, Saiful Ali, and Ansar Ali, while Imanul Islam, Aminul Islam and Bhola Naskar were sentenced to life imprisonment terming their act rarest of the rare as per the Apex Court guidelines the High Court going into the law points set one of the death row accused free for lack of evidence and converting death sentence of the remaining two into sentence for entire life. The remaining accused persons were set free, some for having completed their term commensurate with their crimes and some others because they were adjudged not-guilty.
Bengal’s own Nirbhaya a college student — the first graduate of her village — was not only gang-raped on June 7, 2013 but while perpetrating the crime her two legs were torn apart by the convicts because Bengal’s own Nirbhaya refused to cooperate. The aftermath of the rape led to a political upheaval when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly confronted the locals for acting and agitating at the behest of opposition parties.
Sensing the magnitude of the crime and unrest in its wake she however later said that the guilty would be brought to book.
Notwithstanding her assurances, the case had to be shifted from Barasat to Kolkata’s Bankshall court following complaints of intimidation by the guilty persons’ relative.
“Such was the courage and patronage of the guilty that inside the district court they caught hold of me and beat and kicked me in front of the police after the judge awarded the death sentence to them,” said the brother of the victim.
The villagers also alleged how during the hearing in the High Court prosecution changed advocates for 14 times as the lawyers quit the case alleging threats from various quarters.
“Repeated letters to the Chief Minister, ADG CID and other people up there yielded no results and finally the High Court lessened the punishment on account of slack CID investigation,” said Sirshendu Singha Roy appearing for the victim’s side.
Such palpable was the tension outside the court that some of the women villagers who had come to the court fainted after the verdict alleging, “the police have spoiled our case … even the Supreme Court cannot do anything.”
The State Government however said that it would move the Supreme Court against the verdict.
“It is the duty of the police to bring the guilty to book … If Delhi Police can do it why not Bengal Police … but they failed to do it here because the perpetrators of the crime are TMC members and the Government was pulling the strings from behind,” said BJP State president Sukanta Majumdar.
“We had been by the side of the victims and we will continue to be by their sides … we want to ask Mamata Banerjee after sucking how much blood and raping how many women her killer brigade will stop … They can appoint advocates worth Rs 20 lakh to save the thieves but they cannot appoint good advocates to provide justice to the poor rape victims … Mamata Banerjee and her party went against the Park Street rape victim … they went against the Kamduni rape victim whose rape matches in brutality the one in Delhi … she even stood by the side of the rapists at Hanshkhali … all because they were TMC men,” CPI(M)’s Md Salim said.