A four-year-old girl reportedly became the victim of sexual abuse in West Bengal's Hooghly district, near Kolkata. The minor was asleep beside her grandmother when she was abducted and later found critically injured near Tarakeshwar in Hooghly district.
The child, who is from the Banjara community, had been sleeping under a mosquito net on a cot near the Railway shed in Tarakeshwar when the attacker struck, an NDTV report said, citing a police.
The victim’s family said the perpetrator had cut through the mosquito net and carried the child away while she was asleep.
The girl’s grandmother, visibly distressed and holding up the torn net, said the incident took place around 4 am “She was sleeping with me. Someone took her away,” she said, as reported by the news channel.
“I didn’t even realise when she was taken. I don’t know who the people were who took her away. They cut the mosquito net and took her away. She was found naked,” she added, struggling to hold back tears.
The grandmother said the family had been living on the streets ever since their homes were demolished. “Where do we go? We don’t have any homes,” she added.
Found near Tarkeshwar railway station
{{/usCountry}}The grandmother said the family had been living on the streets ever since their homes were demolished. “Where do we go? We don’t have any homes,” she added.
Found near Tarkeshwar railway station
{{/usCountry}}The child was reportedly discovered the next afternoon near the Tarakeshwar railway high drain, lying in a pool of blood. She was immediately taken to Tarakeshwar Gramin Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition, according to hospital authorities.
According to the report, Police said an FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the law, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A probe has been launched to identify and arrest the perpetrator.
Opposition attacks Mamata government
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition, with BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of attempting to downplay the crime.
“4-year old girl child has been Raped in Tarkeshwar. Family rushes to Police Station, but FIR not registered! Taken to the Hospital - referred to Chandannagar. Tarkeshwar Police busy burying the Crime. This is the True Face of Mamata Banerjee's free-for-all regime. A child's life is shattered, yet the Police are shielding the State's Fake Law & Order Image, by suppressing the truth,” Adhikari posted on X.