‘Victim hidden somewhere’: NCW member Archana Majumdar says she was not allowed to meet Kolkata gang-rape survivor
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‘Victim hidden somewhere’: NCW member Archana Majumdar says she was not allowed to meet Kolkata gang-rape survivor
National Commission for Women (NCW) member Archana Majumdar on Sunday visited South Calcutta Law College after a 24-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped in the institution earlier this week. She said she was not allowed to meet the victim or visit the crime scene. The NCW member held a meeting with the officer-in-charge of the gangrape case and discussed the case’s progress with him. West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya criticised the body’s visit and suggested that the body visit other states like Manipur and Odisha. The ruling Trinamool Congress government attacked the commission’s visit to the state, saying ‘Why did the Women’s Commission not go to other places?’ The police have arrested four persons, including the main accused, and a five-member Special team has been formed to investigate.
Majumdar said she was not allowed to meet the victim or visit the crime scene. She also claimed that the victim and her family have been hidden somewhere, news agency ANI reported.
“They (police) are neither letting us meet the victims, see the crime scene, nor did they let us take any photographs. The police do not want us to meet the victim’s family,” Majumdar said.
The NCW member held a meeting with the officer-in-charge of the gangrape case and discussed the case’s progress with him.
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The NCW member’s visit comes days after a law student was allegedly gang-raped inside the college premises on June 25 by an alumnus and two current students. The police have arrested four persons, including the main accused, and a five-member Special team has been formed to investigate the incident.
Majumdar also claimed that the police are unaware of the survivor’s whereabouts, adding that they have been hidden somewhere.
“The police are saying that they don’t know where the family is. The Deputy Commissioner, the nodal officer of the case, does not know where the victim is. They are not at home. They have been hidden somewhere,” she said.
“We will include everything in the report… After getting the letter from the Commission yesterday, police completed all the work in a single day, and now they don’t know where they (victim and family) are. This is ridiculous. We will do what we have to do,” she added.
Majumdar said that the NCW planned to visit the survivor’s house to assess the situation, understand the family’s needs and evaluate the police’s response. She said she was informed that the medical report and FIR were received within a single day.
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“We have spoken to the officer-in-charge, who informed us that the first visit will be to the girl’s house in Champahati, where we will speak with her father, mother, and any other legal guardian. We will ask the family about the current situation, what actually happened, whether proper protection has been given, whether the police took timely and appropriate action, and if the family needs any further help,” she said.
‘Why did NCW not go to other places?’
The ruling Trinamool Congress government attacked Archana Majumdar’s visit to the state, saying ‘Why did the Women’s Commission not go to other places?’
West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya criticised the NCW member’s visit and suggested that the body visit other states like Manipur and Odisha.
“Why did the Women’s Commission not go to other places? Are there no atrocities there? If you have to go, go everywhere. You should go to Manipur, Odisha. It is an independent institution; it should be independent, but it is not working that way,” Bhattacharya said.