Bengal: Faceoff between Central-State teams in Gazole over gangrape incident
Kolkata/IBNS: After a similar incident in Tiljala, an ugly verbal fight between the central and state teams tasked to protect child rights broke out at Gazole in the Malda district of West Bengal over the gangrape of a minor, media reports said.
Members of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) visited the spot to inspect the case pertaining to the gangrape of a 13-year-old girl inside the school premises by three local men, who have been arrested.
In a video which was aired on television, NCPCR chairman Priyank Kanoogo was caught in a verbal spat with West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBPCR) chairperson Sudeshna Roy who too led a team to Gazole on the same day.
While Roy tried to accompany with Kanoogo, the latter refused her company and slammed the WBPCR chairperson for allegedly waiting for days to come to the site.
"I am requesting you that I am also a party to this investigation and we are supposed to work together," Roy told Kanoogo who replied with anger, "You were supposed to come here 10 days ago."
Later, Kanoogo told media, "The WBPCR members couldn't get time to visit here in 10 days! Now they are creating hindrances in our investigation."
Trashing the allegations, Roy said, "The two teams are supposed to work together. It seems they are trying to hide something so they are not taking us with them."
The incident has triggered a political firestorm in the state.
BJP leader Rahul Sinha told a local channel, "The incident proves that the state government is trying to hide something. We condemn the act."
Reacting to the incident, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "No one is hindering the central team's work. Only a man with a Bahubali image has been stopped. No one was feeling safe in front of the man who has served the RSS, Bajrang Dal in the past."
Kanoongo on Friday accused that he was manhandled by cops inside the Tiljala police station when he visited it over the probe into the alleged murder of a seven-year-old girl on Friday.
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