WB post-poll violence: Rape victims move SC seeking SIT probe

A 17-year-old girl and a 60-year-old woman have moved the Supreme Court seeking to make them also a party in the post-poll violence case. They have raised allegations of rape against the Trinamool Congress supporters.

New Delhi: A minor and an elderly woman have moved the Supreme Court seeking to make them also a party in the post-poll violence case in West Bengal. Reports say details of rapes have now come to the fore.

The 17-year-old girl and a 60-year-old woman stated that the state government cannot be trusted with the investigation. Both are victims and they demanded the case be transferred to the Special Investigation Team.

As per the allegation, Trinamool Congress supporters raped the minor while she was returning to her home along with a friend from her grandmother's home. The elderly woman was allegedly raped by TMC supporters who barged into her house. "Our party has won the elections, now let us teach her a lesson. Now we will teach you a lesson for supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party. Your families should know this is the outcome of opposing our leader Mamata Bannerjee," said the supporters who raped the minor, as per the application filed in the SC.

In addition, the minor has also claimed that the TMC supporters threatened her the next day. They said they will burn the farms, rape her friend who managed to escape and kill them too, if they proceed legally with the matter, the minor alleged. The minor's parents were also not allowed to meet the police and the miscreants threatened that "you have one daughter at home if she is raped tomorrow do not come running to us for help", as per the allegation. In a scathing remark against the state government, the minor said instead of conducting fair investigation and sympathizing with her, the state government has been shielding the accused and threatening her and the family.

The elderly woman informed the apex court that after election results were declared in May, a mob of 100 to 200 TMC supporters surrounded her house. They threatened her to leave the house or else she would have to face consequences. Her daughter-in-law, who came out, was beaten up resulting in grave injuries, as per the allegation. The next day, five TMC supporters barged into the house at 12:30 am and attacked her. In addition, cash, jewellery and other valuable items were stolen by them, it said. Police refused to lodge an FIR when her son-in-law lodged the complaint. It was only after a lot of persuasions, FIR was lodged.

The woman resides in Khejuri where the BJP had won the seat and infuriated over the win, TMC supporters started burning houses of BJP supporters, hurled bombs inflicting physical injury and looted the jewellery and valuables, as per allegation.