A 15-year-old girl was alleged raped by a 32-year-old man in Gaighata area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Thursday, police said on Friday.
The accused, Basudeb Biswas, and a minor relative of his were arrested along with a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) woman worker and her son on Friday, they added.
The survivor’s family said the incident took place when Biswas, who is believed to be an old acquaintance of the BJP worker, came to the latter’s residence with his minor relative, a local police officer said on condition of anonymity.
When the accused saw the girl from the neighbouring house playing outside, he took her to the BJP worker’s house on the pretext of giving her a camera and allegedly raped her, the officer added.
The girl’s family alleged that the BJP woman worker – who claimed to be a polling booth committee president of the party – and her son were guarding the premises when the purported crime took place, the officer said.
BJP’s Bongaon unit president Ramapada Das told HT that the arrested woman does not hold any important portfolio in Gaighata. “Maybe she is just a party worker. The police should take action according to law. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is making a lot of noises over this rape to divert public attention from the rising number of crimes against women in Bengal,” Das said.
TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said: “In the BJP, a worker, who is referred to as karyakarta, is the most important component. The party cannot deny its liability.”
{{/usCountry}}TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said: “In the BJP, a worker, who is referred to as karyakarta, is the most important component. The party cannot deny its liability.”
{{/usCountry}}All those arrested were booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.