CBI submits status report on Bengal’s Hanskhali gang rape probe to Calcutta HC | Kolkata - Hindustan Times
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CBI submits status report on Bengal’s Hanskhali gang rape probe to Calcutta HC

May 03, 2022 04:30 AM IST

On Friday, the CBI arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat leader Samarendu Gayali and his friend Pijush Bhakta on charges of suppressing evidence after the 14-year-old girl died on April 5 following an alleged gang rape at the TMC’s leader’s home.

Kolkata: The Calcutta high court on Monday received a status report on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged gang rape and death of a minor at Hanskhali in Bengal’s Nadia district in April.

The Calcutta high court on Monday received a status report on the CBI probe into the alleged gang rape and death of a minor at Hanskhali in Bengal’s Nadia district in April. (HT PHOTO.)
The Calcutta high court on Monday received a status report on the CBI probe into the alleged gang rape and death of a minor at Hanskhali in Bengal’s Nadia district in April. (HT PHOTO.)

Also Read | CBI submits status report on Bengal’s Hanskhali gang rape probe to Calcutta HC

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The report was submitted in a sealed envelope before the division bench of Calcutta high court chief justice Prakash Srivastava and justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj that ordered the CBI probe on April 12. The bench took on record the report which stated what steps have been taken by the CBI and handed it back to the central agency, said lawyers who attended the proceedings.

On Friday, the CBI arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat leader Samarendu Gayali and his friend Pijush Bhakta on charges of suppressing evidence after the 14-year-old girl died on April 5 following an alleged gang rape at the TMC’s leader’s home.

Also Read | TMC panchayat leader, friend held by CBI in Bengal’s Hanskhali gang rape

Samarendu Gayali’s son, Brajagopal, and his friend Prabhakar Poddar were arrested by the state police when the probe started. Another friend of Brajagopal, Ranjit Mullick, was later nabbed by the CBI. On April 24, the CBI arrested three more suspects, Surajit Roy, Akash Garai and Dipto Gayali, on charges of destroying evidence and threatening the victim’s family.

The alleged gang rape took place on the night of April 4. The victim, a class 9 student, was invited by Brajagopal to his birthday party. She died the next morning, allegedly due to excessive bleeding.

Also Read | Hanskhali gang rape victim’s family can seek protection from Bengal govt: HC

The number of arrests in this case has gone up to eight, of which six have been made by the CBI.

During Monday’s hearing, a petition was filed by a lawyer, Anindya Sundar Das, seeking transfer of the criminal case from Nadia district court to Kolkata.

Das pleaded that this was necessary for the sake of free and fair trial since the accused are influential people. The judges orally asked Das to clearly indicate why he thinks free and fair trial is not possible in Nadia. He was asked to serve a copy of the petition to all parties concerned so that the petition can be heard during the next hearing on May 10.

Also Read | CBI gathers proof in Hanskhali rape, murder case; BJP team attacks TMC

The victim’s parents had alleged that she was forced to drink alcohol before being raped. Her father also alleged that Brajagopal forcefully cremated the body and threatened to kill him if he informed the police.

Samarendu Gayali was arrested after hours of interrogation during which he claimed to have no knowledge of the crime, a CBI official said on condition of anonymity.

Also Read | 'What happened to Draupadi...': Roopa Ganguly on Hanskhali rape

The victim was cremated without any death certificate and post mortem.

“Brajagopal Gayali held a gun at my chest and took away my daughter’s body to cremate her within an hour of her death. They did not even let me leave the house,” the victim’s father told the media after the crime.

On April 20, the division bench allowed the minor’s family to seek protection from the state government under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018. The court also asked the government to provide psychiatric therapy for the family so that the members may recover from the trauma.

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