Jalpaiguri: ‘Molest’ victim dies by suicide

On February 28, Ajoy Roy, a Trinamul leader of her locality, allegedly molested her

Representational image. : File photo

TT Bureau   |   Jalpaiguri/Siliguri   |  26.04.22  : A 15-year-old girl from a village in Maynaguri block of Jalpaiguri district who had set herself ablaze earlier this month after two youths asked her and her family to withdraw a molestation charge against a local Trinamul leader, died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri early on Monday.

Her father demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

On February 28, Ajoy Roy, a Trinamul leader of her locality, allegedly molested her. Her family filed a complaint with Maynaguri police. Ajoy, in turn, filed a plea with Calcutta High Court and got anticipatory bail.

“Since then, the girl and her family feared for their safety. They approached the police who assured them that probe was on,” said a villager. “However, on April 13, two youths with their faces covered threatened her and her family with dire consequences if they did not withdraw the complaint.”

A source added that this scared the girl so much that she set fire to herself. She died 12 days later of burn injuries.

Police arrested Ajoy and his brother Bijoy on April 13 on suspicion that they had threatened the girl and her family. Later, Krishna Adhikary, Ajoy’s uncle, and Abinash Roy, a local youth, were also arrested in connection with the case.

As the news of her death spread, policemen were posted in her village. A post-mortem was done and her body handed over to the family for last rites.

The girl’s father told the media outside the NBMCH that he wanted a CBI probe. “We do not have confidence in the state police,” he said.

Md Salim, the state secretary of CPM, and Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri, rushed to the NBMCH, met the girl’s kin and said her death was the fallout of poor law and order in Bengal. Salim added that they were ready to provide legal aid to the family.

In Calcutta, advocate Sushmita Saha Dutta informed the division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava of the high court of the girl’s death. The Chief Justice asked the advocate to file a supplementary affidavit with details.

Courtesy & source