On Saturday (August 7), the wife of a BJP worker was gang-raped by 5 goons at around 12 o’clock in the night. The incident took place in Amta in the Bagnan Vidhan Sabha constituency in the Howrah district of West Bengal.
News 18 Bangla reported that the BJP worker was not at home on that particular night. Sensing an opportunity, the accused men barged into the house and gang-raped his wife. The victim underwent a cerebral stroke a few days ago and had lost the ability to speak. The woman was found with her hands and legs tied by her son. Hearing his screams, the neighbours got alerted and rushed the victim to the Uluberia Sub-Divisional Hospital.
The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party members of orchestrating the heinous crime. Reportedly, the Bagnan police initially refused to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) in the gang-rape case. Later, when the local BJP leaders intervened, a case was registered against the miscreants at Uluberia Ladies Police Station. Following the registration of the FIR, the cops swung into action and arrested TMC leaders Qutubuddin Mallick and Debashish Rana.
The remaining 3 miscreants are still on the run from the law enforcement authorities. When News 18 reached out to the TMC leader Pulak Roy, he refused to comment on the matter. While speaking about the incident to News 18, the victim’s husband remarked, “I left for Kolkata for my work at 11 am in the morning. Only my wife and youngest son was at the house. At around 12, the miscreants called her from outside the house.”
He further added, “She mistook them for me and opened the door. They then caught hold of her by her and sexually tortured her. This is the handiwork of those who are in charge of the TMC.” Besides the two accused already arrested in the case, he had named three others namely, Shahid, Joynal Mallick and Mahabul Mallick.
Rape as a tool for political violence
It is notable here that dozens of complaints of rape, murder, assault and threats have come to light against TMC goons who have been on a rampage after the party’s victory in the recently concluded state assembly elections. The National Human Rights Commission it its report has highlighted incidents of women being raped as a ‘revenge’ by TMC goons after the elections. BJP workers and supporters have been facing rampant harassment and violence from ruling party goons. The NHRC report had also state that the state police, in several of the cases, either ignored the complaints, or worked in collusion with the perpetrators to further traumatise the victims.
