A former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, who was suspended from the party years ago for breaching discipline, has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl for three days in his poultry farm in the Kharibari area of West Bengal’s Darjeeling district.
The alleged crime took place about two weeks ago but the victim’s mother lodged a complaint at Kharibari police station on Sunday night.
Ujjwal Sarkar, the accused, was arrested in the early hours of Monday. It is alleged that he threatened the victim with dire consequences if she opened her mouth. The family belongs to a tribal community.
The girl, whose father is a TMC worker, has been sent to hospital for medical examination, said a police officer who did not want to be named as he is not authorized to brief the media.
TMC leaders disassociated themselves from Sarkar, saying he was suspended seven years ago for his activities.
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The victim’s family has alleged that Sarkar took the girl to his farm when her parents had gone somewhere. He locked her up for three days and tortured her.
Hiranmoy Roy, TMC Kharibari community block committee president, said, “Sarkar was suspended from the party long ago. He was not an active worker. Law should take its own course.”
Before his suspension, Sarkar was president of the TMC’s Kharibari block youth wing.
Kalyan Debnath, BJP Siliguri district youth committee president, said, “The girl narrated the incident to her grandmother and the matter was brought to the notice of TMC leaders. However, there was an attempt to suppress the crime. We helped the family get justice.”
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