Chandannagar hospital rape case: A four-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by an unidentified accused in West Bengal’s Hooghly district Friday night. The girl was reportedly sleeping beside her grandmother on a cot under a mosquito net in a railway shed where her family had been seeking shelter.
The child was later reportedly found unclothed, bleeding, and with bite marks on her cheek near a drain, in a pool of blood. She was taken to a local hospital and subsequently referred to the Chandannagar hospital.
“While she was asleep, someone tore the mosquito net and kidnapped her. Later, we found her in a wounded condition,” the child’s grandmother reportedly said.
A senior officer from the Hooghly rural police confirmed the crime. A local police officer said that a case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“We have initiated a probe and are trying to identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” said the officer.
The incident sparked political controversy and allegations of initial police inaction by BJP leaders.
In a post on X, Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari said that the police were “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. Are they Police Officers or Mamata Banerjee’s sycophants?” he asked.
“Mamata Banerjee, you are a Failed Chief Minister. Under your rule, West Bengal’s law & order has hit ROCK BOTTOM. Same script every time: Rape → No/delayed FIR → Hospital referral → Media blackout → TMC leaders cover-up!” he added.
Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, said that “in Mamata Banerjee’s terrifying reign of demonic savagery, even a four-year-old girl is not safe”.
“After a long period of abduction, she was rescued in a severely wounded state. But how strange! When the victim’s family went to the local police station to report the rape, the police allegedly turned them away, even refusing to take the complaint, according to the family’s accusation. What kind of West Bengal is this, where a sleeping infant is
abducted and raped?” he asked in a post on X written in Bengali.
“From cities to small towns, from suburbs to remote villages, women are facing oppression and abuse everywhere. On one hand, the ultimate horror of violence against women, and on the other, the law enforcement police themselves are making desperate attempts to protect the rapist demons! A failed chief minister. How much longer will Mamata Banerjee cling to power?” he said.