Kolkata: An elderly nun of a convent school in Nadia’s Ranaghat was gangraped by a group of miscreants who also looted several lakhs. The heinous crime sent shock waves in the state.
Angered by the incident, parents of children who study in Convent of Jesus and Mary High School and the common people came out on the streets in protest. They blocked National Highway 34 and railway tracks at Ranaghat station for several hours.
Expressing anguish and anger over the crime, chief minister Mamata Banerjee immediately handed over the investigation of the case to the CID. “We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat convent. We have ordered a CID probe. The government will take strong steps against the culprit. The CID will be examining all aspects to this horrific crime. Swift, strongest action to be taken,” said a statement from the chief minister. Sources said she also spoke to ADG CID Rajeev Kumar and told him to arrest the culprits as soon as possible. Mr Kumar despatched a special CID team to Ranaghat.
Describing the gangrape of the nun, urban development minister Firhad Hakim warned that the administration would take strong action against the culprits. “Religious fanaticism has increased lately and there had been attacks on churches. In the name of ghar wapasi, communal passion is being stoked,” he said. Echoing his view, education minister Partha Chatterjee said it was an attempt by communal forces to defame the Mamata Banerjee government.
A gang of seven-eight miscreants descended on the convent after scaling the boundary wall at around 2 am. They tied up the security guards and placing guns on their heads forced them to call out to the sisters to open the office. They then went on a looting spree. The criminals gangraped the sister superior when she protested. The victim was critically injured and admitted to the local hospital. “A 71-year-old nun of a private school was admitted to our hospital.
“It is a case of sexual assault. We set up a medical board comprising a general physician, gynaecologist and surgeon are treating her. The patient who was operated upon is now stable but she is deeply traumatised,” a source said. District magistrate P.B. Salim, superintendent of police Arnab Ghosh and DIG Murshidabad range Kallol Ganai rushed to the convent.
Archbishop of Calcutta Thomas D’Souza also visited the convent. In fact, it was he who played a key role in pacifying the protesters and persuading them to lift the road and rail blockades.
There were three CCTV cameras in the convent. The dacoits apparently noticed two of them which they damaged. However, the third camera remained in tact. Police sources said that the footages clearly showed images of at least three culprits. The CID and the Nadia police are offering a reward of Rs 1 lakh to any one who can given any information about these people.
According to local people, a week ago, some hoodlums had come to the convent and demanded a hefty sum. When the convent authorities refused to pay, they had threatened them of dire consequences. “A complaint was lodged in the police station but the police failed to take any measure,” father of a student said.
The local people were also angry because only 100 metres from the school on the National Highway a patrol van of the police was parked which failed to notice anything amiss although the brutes rampaged the convent and brutalised the nun for over three hours.
