A court in Ranaghat delivered a significant verdict on Monday, finding nine individuals guilty for their involvement in the horrific gang rape of a teenage girl in Hanskhali, which led to her death. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took charge of the probe in April 2022, had filed its chargesheet in July of the same year.
The Court's Verdict and Awaiting Sentence
The Ranaghat court, after pronouncing the nine accused guilty, announced that the quantum of their sentence would be declared on Tuesday. This conviction marks a crucial step in a case that shocked the nation and highlighted issues of power, impunity, and violence against minors.
Chilling Details of the Crime Emerge
The incident occurred on the victim's birthday. According to the case details, the minor was first intoxicated and then subjected to a brutal gang rape by three primary accused: Brajagopal Goali, the son of a Trinamool panchayat leader, along with his friends Prabhakar Poddar and Ranjit Mallick.
In a further act of cruelty, it was alleged that the victim's family was threatened by three other accused who conspired with the main perpetrators. These threats prevented the family from taking the grievously injured girl to a hospital for urgent medical care. She succumbed to her injuries the following morning.
Attempt to Destroy Evidence Alleged
The prosecution also presented the alarming allegation that the accused immediately took possession of the victim's body after her death. They proceeded to cremate it without permitting a mandatory medical examination or post-mortem. This act was seen as a deliberate attempt to destroy forensic evidence related to the crime.
The CBI's investigation, which led to this conviction, was pivotal in uncovering the sequence of events and establishing the roles of all nine accused. The case continues to be a stark reminder of the challenges in delivering justice in crimes involving powerful local figures and the enduring fight for accountability in sexual violence cases.
