Kolkata, July 7 (IANS) West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday visited the family of the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, describing the incident as ‘extremely unfortunate’ and assuring the family that justice would be delivered.

Speaking to reporters, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul said, “We came to the victim’s uncle’s house, where her father was staying. Her mother is here; this is her original home. It is extremely unfortunate. I have no words. We have come from the Department of Women and Child…We have come as representatives of the Chief Minister; he has sent us. We are here to give assurance, which the Chief Minister has already given many times, that justice will be delivered. This is not like previous governments, where such incidents happened every day and there was no justice.”

BJP West Bengal President, Mahila Morcha, Phalguni Patra said, “The victim’s mother is not in a condition to speak. It is a very unfortunate incident, and such a reaction is natural. We have given our assurance, and the Chief Minister has also assured that those responsible for this act will face exemplary punishment. The government has also introduced a law to curb hooliganism. Since such incidents had spread like cancer under previous governments, it will take some time to eliminate.”

Earlier, on July 6, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the West Bengal Police arrested the prime accused in the case. According to officials from the Baruipur Police District, the accused, identified as Ananda Sarkar, was apprehended from the Baruipur Bazar area.

Police officials said Ananda Sarkar had been under suspicion since the beginning of the investigation and was the last accused to be arrested in the case. The two other accused, Pravas Mondal and Dibakar Sardar, had already been taken into custody.

All three accused are expected to be produced before a district court in South 24 Parganas, where the prosecution will seek their police custody for further investigation.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari described the crime as “heinous” and assured the victim’s family that the state government would make every effort to secure the harshest possible punishment for those involved.

“This is a heinous incident. The government is making every arrangement according to the wishes of the victim’s family. We will make every effort to ensure the accused receive capital punishment after a speedy conviction,” the Chief Minister said.

Commenting on the death of a man who was allegedly lynched by an angry mob protesting against the girl’s rape and murder, the Chief Minister claimed that there was a communal angle behind the mob violence. Authorities are continuing their investigation into both the rape-murder case and the subsequent incidents of unrest in the area.

–IANS

jk/rad