22-year-old tribal woman not raped, says East Burdwan police at news conference

The police made this hurried clarification in response to claims circulating on social media that the young woman had been raped and murdered

Snehamoy Chakraborty, TT,  Calcutta, 17.08.24 : East Burdwan police held a news conference on Friday to clarify that the 22-year-old tribal woman, whose body was found on Thursday with her throat slit, had not been raped.

The police made this hurried clarification in response to claims circulating on social media that the young woman had been raped and murdered.

“Many people on social media started claiming that the woman was raped and murdered. We received the post-mortem report today, which showed no indication that the woman was sexually assaulted. We have identified the suspect, who is currently absconding,” said East Burdwan police superintendent Amandeep.

A police source stated that the clarification was necessary in light of the recent alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which became a national issue and sparked midnight protests by thousands of women across the state.

According to the police, the victim left her house on Wednesday evening, responding to a phone call and was later found dead in a field near her home by family members. The police discovered her body with her throat slit by a sharp weapon.

Since the incident occurred shortly after the RG Kar incident, several political parties, including the BJP and the CPM, protested against crimes against women, particularly focusing on the case of the poor tribal girl. Tribal organisations staged protests, and the CPM held rallies in Burdwan town on Friday afternoon.

“Police are now hurriedly clarifying that this was not a rape case, likely due to the fallout from the R.G. Kar incident. Normally, the authorities would remain silent, treating such a brutal murder as a minor law-and-order issue. We are protesting against crimes against women. This woman may not have been raped, but the police had to act quickly because she was murdered so brutally,” said CPM district secretariat member Apurba Chatterjee, who also claimed that another woman was raped a week ago.

However, the SP said that the police had already identified the suspect and would apprehend him soon.

“We are also requesting those spreading false information about the incident on social media to refrain from such acts. Otherwise, we will take legal action,” added the police chief.

Tribal girl student’s body found in farmland

Body of a tribal girl student was recovered from farmland with her throat slit on Thursday.

SNS | Burdwan | August 17, 2024 : Body of a tribal girl student was recovered from farmland with her throat slit on Thursday.

The incident sparked a sensation in Burdwan on 14 August and the aggrieved tribal community members blocked the Burdwan PS on Independence.

In the midst of R G Kar Medical College rape and murder incident, protest against the Burdwan incident gained momentum.

Today, the tribal girl students of Burdwan University also agitated at the BU campus demanding immediate arrest of the culprit.

Twenty-five-year-old Priyanka Hansda of Nandur village within the Burdwan PS area was a MA (philosophy) student of BU. Besides, she was serving as a part-time sales representative at a shopping mall in Burdwan town.

Her parents said, “On Wednesday midnight, she’d gone out for washroom, within the compound but for several hours wasn’t back, which perturbed us.” The deceased’s father Sukanta Hansda added, “We went out in search of her and we were shocked to see our daughter lying dead in a pool of blood in the vegetable field.” It’s barely 50 metres away from their hut.

On Independence Day, there were reports that the girl was first raped and then murdered, which went viral. Amandeep Singh, SP, East Burdwan, ruled out the chances of implicating the rape charge and said: “No evidence of rape was detected in autopsy. The family members too haven’t brought any such complaints.” He added: “We’ve already identified the culprit and our teams have been expedited for his arrest.” The district police have constituted a nine-member special investigation team to expedite the investigation.