Calcutta HC directs state govt to file report on gangrape of 62-year-old who died

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to file a report on the progress of investigation in the case of alleged rape and subsequent death of a 62-year-old woman.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty directed the state government to file the report within two weeks in connection with a PIL seeking a CBI investigation into the case.

In her petition, lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal claimed that the woman was gangraped and her intestine was ruptured after iron rods and liquor bottles were allegedly inserted into her private parts.

The incident was believed to have occurred on July 4 at Sandeshkhali bordering Sunderbans in North 24 Parganas district. The woman had succumbed to her injuries at a state-run hospital on August 1. State Advocate General Kishore Dutta, however, submitted that the woman had in her initial statement alleged that one person had raped her and the accused, whom she named, has been arrested.

He further said that the son of the deceased has also named one person in a police complaint. The AG told the court that the medical report of the woman was not yet received from the doctors. At this, the division bench asked as to why it should take so long as that would indicate whether the woman was raped by one person or was gangraped.

The petitioner claimed that the woman while talking to a news channel from her hospital bed, had spoken of more than one person having brutalised her. Alleging that the state police was not probing the matter properly, the petitioner prayed for an order to transfer the investigation to CBI.

The bench, after hearing both the parties, directed the state to file a report within two weeks on the progress of investigation in the matter.