Toddler Abducted from Grandmother’s Side in Dead of Night, Raped Near Kolkata; BJP Accuses Mamata Banerjee of Cover-Up
Tarakeshwar — In a harrowing incident that has shocked residents of Hooghly district, a four-year-old girl from the Banjara community was abducted from her makeshift sleeping spot and subjected to sexual assault, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The child, who remains in critical condition, was snatched from beside her grandmother in the early hours, exposing the vulnerabilities faced by homeless families in the area.
The attack occurred around 4 a.m. near a railway shed in Tarakeshwar, close to Kolkata. According to police cited, the girl was resting under a mosquito net on a cot when the assailant sliced through the netting and carried her off unnoticed. Her family, displaced after their homes were demolished, has been surviving on the streets, a detail that underscores the precarious living conditions contributing to such tragedies.
The grandmother, clutching the ripped mosquito net in a gesture of raw anguish, recounted the ordeal to reporters. “She was sleeping with me. Someone took her away,” she said, her voice breaking as she fought back tears. “I didn’t even realise when she was taken. I don’t know who the people were who took her away. They cut the mosquito net and took her away. She was found naked.” Adding to their despair, she lamented, “Where do we go? We don’t have any homes.”
The girl was discovered the following afternoon near the Tarakeshwar railway high drain, her tiny body abandoned in a pool of blood. She was rushed to Tarakeshwar Gramin Hospital, where medical staff described her injuries as life-threatening. Officials at the facility reported she is receiving urgent care but faces a grim prognosis.
Hooghly police have responded swiftly, filing a First Information Report under applicable provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Investigators are actively pursuing leads to apprehend the perpetrator, though no arrests have been announced as of yet.
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The case has ignited fierce political backlash, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemning the Trinamool Congress-led administration under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to X to lambast the government’s handling of the matter, alleging deliberate suppression. “4-year old girl child has been Raped in Tarkeshwar. Family rushes to Police Station, but FIR not registered! Taken to the Hospital – referred to Chandannagar. Tarkeshwar Police busy burying the Crime. This is the True Face of Mamata Banerjee’s free-for-all regime. A child’s life is shattered, yet the Police are shielding the State’s Fake Law & Order Image, by suppressing the truth,” Adhikari wrote.
As the investigation unfolds, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for enhanced child safety measures and support for marginalized communities in West Bengal. The family awaits justice while grappling with unimaginable loss.