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Robbers gangrape 71-yr-old Bengal nun
Ashis Poddar
Ranaghat (West
Bengal)
Sisters Had Asked For Police
Protection But Got Nothing, Minister Blames `Ghar Wapsi'
Bringing more shame for
Bengal, a 71-year-old nun of a convent school was gangraped in Ranaghat
town, some 80km from Kolkata, on Saturday. She was injured so badly that
she had to undergo a surgery. Police blamed a gang of robbers and
ruled out any motive behind the rape, which triggered protests and angry
reactions from Christian leaders in the state. Chief minister Mamata
Banerjee condemned it and ordered a CID probe. State minister Firhad
Hakim called it an “attack on humanity”.
“I am shocked. Such an
attack on an elderly sister is a rare incident, first time in Bengal and
possibly the first time in India. It is deeply distressing,” said
archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D’Souza, who rushed to Ranaghat. “The chief
minister was genuinely concerned. She promised speedy action and assured
security .“
Hakim blamed growing intolerance and religious
fanaticism in West Bengal. “Religious intolerance in the name of Ghar
Wapsi is at work, sometimes in Odisha and sometimes
in Bengal. This may be one of the reasons. Such heinous criminals should
be shot dead but our law does not permit this. The Bengal government
believes the criminals should be hanged to death,” he said.
Mamata
chose her words carefully: “We strongly con
demn the incident. We have ordered a CID probe that will examine all
aspects of this horrific crime. The government will take swift,
strongest possible action against the culprits.” The state government
has announced Rs 1 lakh reward for information on the rapists, said SP
Arnab Ghosh.
According to the complaint lodged by the school,
seven to eight armed robbers overpowered the security guard and stormed
its compound around 2.30am. Holding a pistol to his head, the gang
forced its way into the main building.
An investigator said that
the robbers tried to destroy a CCTV camera near the gate but failed. The
staff-room CCTV managed to capture their faces.
“The gang then moved to the first floor where the nuns have their residential
quarters.
A senior sister resisted them when they tried to loot valua
bles and cash. She was sexually assaulted,” a source said.
“Two
other nuns cowered in fear in nearby rooms while the violence went on
for more than an hour. It was nearly dawn by the time they left. The
screams of the nuns alerted locals and they helped move the injured
sister to hospital.’’ School principal Sister P Mary Shanti confirmed
this. The gang looted Rs 12 lakh in cash.
Questions are being
raised over the role of police. Sources said the missionary school had
sought protection from Gangnapur police station nearly a fortnight ago
but the officers did nothing. In fact, there is a police outpost just
100 metres from the school that is supposed to carry out regular
patrols. The robbers carried out the rape and rampage inside the school
for over an hour but no policeman bothered to check, school authorities
said.
Elderly nun gangraped in Bengal, govt
orders probe
RANAGHATKOLKATA
AGENCIES
An elderly nun was allegedly
gangraped by a group of miscreants at Convent of Jesus and Mary school
in Ranaghat in West Bengal's Nadia district on Saturday triggering
blockade of road and rail tracks even as chief minister Mamata Banerjee
ordered a criminal investigation department (CID) probe into the
incident. District magistrate P B Salim, who rushed to the spot, said the
police were already on the lookout for the gang members.
According to school authorities, about a dozen dacoits forced
themselves inside the institution around 12:30 am and three or four of
them gang-raped the 71-year-old woman after gagging her when she tried
to resist them.
The gang then decamped with Rs 12 lakh that was
kept in a cupboard. The nun was taken to Ranaghat Hospital by the
school hostel authorities in the morning when the matter came to light.
“We are yet to get a full picture of the incident,“ the Salim said.
Describing it as an “attack on humanity“, urban development minister
Firad Hakim said attempts were being made to inject religious
fanaticism.
The incident evoked strong reactions across the
State and political
parties in Opposition raised questions on the law and order situation of
the State. Aggrieved guardians of students began blocking the arterial
NH 34 and Sealdah-Ranaghat rail tracks from 12 noon as the news spread
like wildfire in the locality.
“We have ordered a CID probe in
the incident. The CID will be examining all aspects to this horrific
crime. Swift, strongest action to be taken,“ CM Mamata Banerjee said on a
social networking site.
Archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza said, “It is shocking that they have
ransacked the school and the chapel as well.“
Critisising the incident, CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra
said, “Incidents of rape have become a daily affair as the TMC has not
taken any action against the culprits who are accused of perpetuating
crimes against women.“
