A day after the State CID achieved a breakthrough by arresting two suspects in the gangrape of a 71-year-old nun at a convent school in Nadia district, the Centre on Thursday rejected the West Bengal Government’s request for a CBI probe into the matter.
Senior officials in the Home Ministry said the Centre took the decision citing the progress in the investigation by the State CID.
The officials said that the decision has been communicated to the State Government.
The Centre’s decision came after taking the opinion of top CBI officers following the State Police’s breakthrough in the case by nabbing two main accused on Wednesday.
Both the accused are Bangladeshi nationals.
The first arrest was made in Mumbai, when Mohammed Salim Sheikh alias Salim was picked up in the early hours, while second accused, Gopal Sarkar, was arrested from Habra in North 24 Parganas district.
Meanwhile on Friday, Sarkar was produced before a local court and remanded to 14-day CID custody. The order was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Papiya Das, who agreed with the prosecution’s submission and charged Sarkar under IPC Sections 212 and 216(a) (harbouring the offender before) apart from Sections 395 (dacoity), 397 (dacoity with attempt to cause grievous hurt or death) and 376 (rape). No lawyer appeared for the accused, in line with the Ranaghat Bar Association’s decision to boycott the case.
Milan Sarkar, secretary of Ranaghat Bar Association said the decision not to represent them was taken as they had committed a “heinous crime”. However, the two will get the legal assistance from the Sub-Divisional legal Aid Committee.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced on March 19 that her Government is recommending a CBI probe “considering the seriousness and sensitivity of the case” and assured the central probe agency of all cooperation and assistance in the investigation.
A study of the CCTV footage at the convent in Ranaghat sub-division had shown visuals of four persons, who were allegedly involved in the crime.The gang broke into the school and three-four of them raped the woman after gagging her and later took away Rs12 lakh kept in a locker.
The nun was admitted to a local hospital and later taken to her hometown in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala after being discharged.