Kolkata: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday met family members of the Kamduni gang rape-murder victim at a Janatar Darbar session and assured them that the govt would ensure justice. The victim’s brother had written to the CM seeking reinvestigation into the case.
“I met the family of the Kamduni victim and assured them that we will look into the issue. The case is pending before the Supreme Court and the state govt has already submitted its advisory,” the CM said. Last week, the CM had said the state govt will not oppose the victim’s family in the SC.
The case dates back to 2016, when a 20-year-old college student in Kamduni was abducted while on her way home from college, gang raped and murdered.
A city sessions court convicted six people and sentenced three of them — Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali — to death. The three others, Imanul Islam, Aminul Islam and Bholanath Naskar were given life imprisonment. Two of the accused were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
In 2023, a Calcutta HC division bench acquitted death-row convict Amin Ali and commuted the death sentences of Saiful and Ansar to life imprisonment. The three given life imprisonment were released for having already served 10 years in prison.
“The accused are roaming scot-free. The previous govt turned down our plea for reinvestigation. We have demanded a fresh inquiry. The CM gave us a patient hearing,” said the victim’s brother.
Meanwhile, Haringhata resident Jadu De has sought a reinvestigation into the alleged murder of his son Srinjay De. Srinjay, his father alleged, was murdered by three functionaries of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad at Bidhannagar College.
Jadu has alleged that his son’s body had torture marks and that ex-minister Sujit Bose had tried to influence the investigation.
Responding to questions around the allegations against the ex-minister, the CM said the govt would act only on the basis of facts. “We can’t comment (on something) just because someone’s name has cropped up. Several people are coming to us with their grievances, and action is being taken wherever required. Of the six Janata Darbars held so far, action-taken reports in nearly 80% cases have been sent to respective general secretaries,” the CM said.