On Friday, March 31, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said that he was beaten up by a police officer inside the Tiljala police station during his visit to West Bengal. Kanoongo, who was on a visit to Tiljala to probe the alleged murder of a seven-year-old- girl there, was allegedly beaten and manhandled by a senior police inspector.
Sharing the said incident, Kanoongo said that a police officer Biswak Mukherjee manhandled and assaulted him at Tiljala police station. He also accused the local police of secretly recording the NCPCR investigation proceedings.
“Bengal police officer Biswak Mukherjee manhandled and beat me up at Tiljila police station in West Bengal. The policemen @NCPCR_ were surreptitiously recording the investigation proceedings. They beat me up for protesting,” a tweet by the NCPCR chairperson in Hindi read.
पश्चिम बंगाल के तिलजिला थाने में बंगाल पुलिस के अफ़सर बिस्वाक मुखर्जी ने मेरे साथ छीना छपटी व मार पीट की है।
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) March 31, 2023
पुलिस के लोग @NCPCR_ की जाँच कार्यवाही की चोरी छिपे रिकॉर्डिंग कर रहे थे।
विरोध करने पर मेरे साथ मार पीट की है।
Following the incident, lamenting the state of law and order in the state, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari tweeted, “The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights is a statutory body established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. The NCPCR Chairperson gets assaulted in Tiljala Police Station. That’s the Law & Order situation of West Bengal.”
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights is a Statutory Body established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.@NCPCR_ Chairperson is beaten up inside Tiljala PS.
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) March 31, 2023
That’s the Law & Order situation of WB Hon’ble @BengalGovernor &@HMOIndia. https://t.co/eHneud7x9S
Bengal BJP President Dr. Sukanta Majumdar also condemned the alleged attack on Priyank Kanoongo while he was doing his duty.
“Strongly condemn this incident. This is unacceptable. What could be more worse than this that @NCPCR_ Chairperson is beaten up in West Bengal for doing his duty. This brings shame to the state and Bengal Police. This is unpardonable,” Dr. Majumdar tweeted.
Strongly condemn this incident. This is unacceptable.
— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) March 31, 2023
What could be more worse than this that @NCPCR_ Chairperson is beaten up in West Bengal for doing his duty.
This brings shame to the state and Bengal Police. This is unpardonable. https://t.co/2Zu0D4dCPR pic.twitter.com/jCPD5Hgqxg
Speaking to the media, Kanoongo pointed out the alleged discrepancies in the investigation conducted by Tiljala police in the minor girl’s murder case. He said that the investigation officer in the case is not trained in the POCSO act. In addition to this, in their seizure, there is no mention of the mattress on which the minor was killed. Moreover, he claimed that there are differences in the statements of the doctor and the deceased victim’s mother. The NCPCR chairman accused the police is attempting to threaten him and that the “law and order could not get any worse than this.”
It is notable that on March 27, the NCPCR took suo moto cognisance in the matter where a 7-year-old girl was killed in a human sacrifice case in Tiljala, Kolkata.
The NCPCR action in the case came hours after reports emerged that on Sunday, March 26, in Kolkata’s Tiljala area, Alok Kumar brutally attacked and killed a 7-year-old girl. According to the authorities, the accused was asked to sacrifice a child to guarantee that his wife would give birth to a healthy child.
The cops located the minor’s body in the same building from where she had been kidnapped earlier in the day. To ascertain whether or not the youngster had been sexually abused, the body was sent for post-mortem examination.
According to the girl’s parents, she was sent to dump the garbage at the nearby garbage bin on Sunday morning and could not be located after that. After hours of search, the police found the child’s body in the same building from where she went missing earlier.
The alleged delay in police action in searching for the missing victim prompted the neighbours of the deceased victim to take out a protest against Kolkata police. Locals staged protests outside the Tiljala Police Station and carried out vandalism in the area damaging several vehicles on Sunday night demanding strict action against the culprit.
