Bengal’s National Highway 31, which connects state capital Kolkata to Siliguri, saw massive protests on Sunday afternoon and evening, July 19, against the alleged gangrape and murder of a school girl.
Chopra area, around 500 km north of Kolkata, turned into a battlefield for nearly two hours as the police tried to disperse the protesters who had blocked the road, but were fiercely resisted. The cops then resorted to lathi-charge and firing tear gas.
The violence began at around 2 PM and lasted for several hours. At least three buses and police vehicles were torched, NDTV reported.
Just as the police thought that they had successfully dispersed the crowd at around 5 PM, the protesters moved on another arterial road and began attacking cops with bows and arrows.
West Bengal: Locals hold protest, block road and set police vehicles & public buses on fire against an alleged gang-rape & murder of a girl in Kalagachh in Uttar Dinajpur. Heavy security deployed at the site. pic.twitter.com/Jbo2x8j2Ru
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020
The victim has just passed her class 10 board exams. When she went missing a day ago, her family launched a search party. Her body was found under a tree.
Locals alleged that the girl was gangraped and murdered. Two bicycles and some mobile phones were found at the scene, and have been handed over to the police.
Tweeting about the post-mortem report, the West Bengal Police mentioned the case of death as ‘effect of poison’ and there were ‘no injury marks’.
‘Inquest by a magistrate and videography of the Post Mortem was done. As per the PM report cause of death is ‘effect of poison’. No injury marks anywhere in the body has been found. There is no sign of sexual or physical assault,’ the police tweeted.
Today morning Islampur PD received a reliable information about the death of an young girl of Chopra PS area. Family members or any other associated persons didn’t inform Police. Police contacted the family and sent the body for Post Mortem… (1/3)
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) July 19, 2020
Referring to law and order problems, they said: ‘Though L&O problem has been created over the issue, yet no complaint has been lodged with police.’
Local police said that the situation is under control now. An investigation into the girl’s death is underway.
Also Read: Bihar: Security Guard Arrested For Raping 15-Yr-Old Girl Inside COVID-19 Isolation Ward In Patna
