West Bengal Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari on Monday said that the police has been given a free hand in cases of rape and murder accused, drug trade and infiltration from Bangladesh. Dilip Roy, 47, accused of rape and murder of a minor in North Dinajpur, has died in a police encounter. There is political uproar in the state regarding this encounter.
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari asked whether the police would feed rasgullas to those who attacked them. He questioned why the police had guns. According to him, officers can take decisions in such matters at their own level and they will not have to wait for permission from senior officers. He said that he will stand with the police.
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Rape accused was encountered in Dinajpur
A police officer of North Dinajpur, on the condition of anonymity, said that Dilip Roy was a mason by profession. He was a suspect in the murder and rape of a teenage girl whose body was found inside the Kulik Forest on November 5. The girl had left home on November 3 on a bicycle to buy something and then went missing.
According to the police, action was going on against Dilip Roy in a case registered under the POCSO Act. Police say that he was trying to escape through the forest to enter Bihar. The police was chasing him around 3:30 am on Monday.
What has the police said on the encounter?
Police allege that he fired from a 9 mm pistol, which was recovered from the spot. His bullets hit the police car. He was injured in retaliatory firing. He was taken to Raiganj Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Post-mortem investigation indicated that the girl may have been gang-raped. Police also found that the victim was a neighbor of the accused and used to call him uncle. The victim's family told the police that Dilip Roy misled them and took Rs 300 from them by promising to find the girl in Bihar.
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There is an uproar over the encounter in Bengal
This is the fourth death of a rape and murder suspect in a police encounter in five months after the formation of the first BJP government in Bengal. The first incident took place on July 7 in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas. The second incident took place on October 27 in Gaighata in North 24 Parganas. A few hours later, a third incident took place in Dhulian, Murshidabad. The remaining three accused died while allegedly trying to escape from police custody.
The accused used to go free after repeated rape
A police officer said that the local people claimed that Dilip Roy had been involved in such cases in the past too and had escaped arrest every time. According to people, about 16 years ago he was accused of raping a minor girl in the village.
Then a Panchayat released him after selling his land and giving compensation to his family. The officer also said that about 18 months ago, another case of assault on a minor boy had come to light in Hemtabad, whose case was also not registered. These claims are being investigated.
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What is the victim's family saying?
The victim's father told the media that he was happy with what happened to the person who tortured his daughter. According to the report, Dilip Roy's mother also said that the police did the right thing. TMC MP Saugata Roy criticized the encounter. He said that the job of the police is not to kill the suspects but to present them in court. According to him, this practice will lead to breakdown of law and order.