Kolkata: A prolonged tug-of-war and tussle preceded the cremation of the gangrape victim’s body on Wednesday as her parents urged governor M.K. Narayanan to ensure their security and death sentence for the culprits. They further complained to him about the intimidation by the cops who allegedly hijacked their daughter's body and took it to Nimtala crematorium without their consent on Tuesday night.
The girl had been raped twice by the same gang in October. She attempted suicide after the gang tried threaten the family into silence. She died in a hospital on Tuesday.
A drama unfolded when the victim’s family planned to take the body to the Peace Haven. The police snatched the body and headed with it for the crematorium, victim’s father alleged.
“The police was in a desperate hurry to cremate the body although we wanted to keep it at Peace Haven overnight so that some of my relatives, who were coming from outside, could attend the last rites,” he said.
The police’s plans failed because of the absence of the death certificate, he added.
Denying his allegation joint commissioner (headquarters) Rajiv Mishra said, “Based on the family’s wish, the body was brought to the crematorium after they contacted the police.” At around 2.30 am on Wednesday, the police took the body to the victim’s rented house in Airport area. The victim’s father, a taxi driver, alleged, “Officer-in-charge of the Airport police station threatened me not to stay here while SP asked me to return to Bihar.”
At around 6 am, the police brought him with the body to the crematorium. But the victim’s father made it clear that he would not take part in the rites without meeting the governor.
He claimed that his daughter revealed in her dying declaration to police that she was set on fire on December 25 by two members of the gang.
Raped twice, peace eludes victim in death too
Ordeal begins: The girl is gangraped on October 25 at Madhyamgram in the northern fringes of Kolkata, and found lying near her house.
Assaulted again: She was forcibly taken away by the same gang and gangraped again while returning home with her parents after lodging a complaint with the police.
Family moves: The severely injured girl is found lying near the railway tracks at Madhyamgram the same day. Her family shifts residence from Madhyamgram to Dum Dum in the city.
Threat to family: Six people arrested after locals demand immediate action, The victim’s family alleges that on December 23, a close associate of gang leader Chottu visited their residence and threatened them with dire consequences if she did not withdraw her complaint.
Extreme step: The victim tries to commit suicide the same day, December 23.
Battle ends: Doctors at R.G. Kar Hospital said the girl was admitted with nearly 80 per cent burns and damaged lungs. She died around 2 pm on Tuesday.
Politics begins: Left leaders and the family alleges that police tried to forcibly cremate body. Protests break out all over Kolkata.
Next: Political ballgame over victim’s body
Political ballgame over victim’s body
Kolkata: Emulating its bete noire Mamata Banerjee, the beleaguered CPM on Wednesday played politics over a body.
From the moment, the girl breathed her last in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, leaders of the Leftist trade union CITU?leaders things into their hands.
As the police was taking the victim’s body to the crematorium the CITU leaders arrived there and forcibly shifted the body from the hearse to a matador. But the cops prevented them from taking away the body by putting up barricades.
When the CITU workers tried to break the barricades, the cops lathicharged them. At around 10.15am, the police allowed the CITU to take the body to its office.
Left leaders including Surjya Kanta Mishra, Shyamal Chakraborty and Sujan Chakraborty walked in a condolence rally with the body of the victim before it was taken to the Nimtala crematorium. Left Front chairman Biman Bose told all units to organise dhikkar rallies to protest the harassment of the victim’s family.
When the Trinamul Congress was in the Opposition, it sometimes brought the bodies of party workers killed in villages to Kolkata and organised condolence rallies.
Earlier, the girl’s father, said it was decided by the family and the trade union to keep the body in Peace Haven mortuary and a condolence rally would be taken out on Wednesday.
But when the body was being taken to the mortuary late on Tuesday night, the police took it for cremation, the girl’s father and CITU alleged.
“The police took away the body forcefully and tried to cremate it. After the news spread, we rushed to the crematorium and protested forcing the police to retreat,” a CPM leader said.
