RANAGHAT
(West Bengal): Bringing more shame for Bengal, a 71-year-old nun of a
convent school was gang-raped in Ranaghat town, some 80km from Kolkata,
early on Saturday. She was injured so badly that she had to undergo a
surgery.
Police blamed a gang of robbers and ruled out any motive behind the rape, which triggered protests and angry reactions from Christian leaders in the state that worships Mother Teresa as a saint. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned it and ordered a CID probe and her minister Firhad Hakim called it an "attack on humanity".
"I am shocked. Such an attack on an elderly sister is a rare incident, first time in Bengal and possibly the first time in India. It is deeply distressing," said archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza, who rushed to Ranaghat and visited the school. "The chief minister was genuinely concerned. She promised speedy action and assured security."
Hakim blamed growing intolerance and religious fanaticism in West Bengal. "Religious intolerance in the name of Ghar Wapsi is at work, sometimes in Odisha and sometimes in Bengal. This may be one of the reasons. Such heinous criminals should be shot dead but our law does not permit this. The Bengal government believes the criminals should be hanged to death," he said.
Mamata chose her words carefully: "We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat convent. We have ordered a CID probe that will examine all aspects of this horrific crime. The government will take swift, strongest possible action against the culprits." The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh reward for the capture of the rapists, said SP Arnab Ghosh.
CCTV footage shows 3 men in convent staff room in Nadia where a nun was allegedly gangraped #BengalGangrapes https://t.co/rlgiW9FEPs
Police blamed a gang of robbers and ruled out any motive behind the rape, which triggered protests and angry reactions from Christian leaders in the state that worships Mother Teresa as a saint. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned it and ordered a CID probe and her minister Firhad Hakim called it an "attack on humanity".
"I am shocked. Such an attack on an elderly sister is a rare incident, first time in Bengal and possibly the first time in India. It is deeply distressing," said archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza, who rushed to Ranaghat and visited the school. "The chief minister was genuinely concerned. She promised speedy action and assured security."
Hakim blamed growing intolerance and religious fanaticism in West Bengal. "Religious intolerance in the name of Ghar Wapsi is at work, sometimes in Odisha and sometimes in Bengal. This may be one of the reasons. Such heinous criminals should be shot dead but our law does not permit this. The Bengal government believes the criminals should be hanged to death," he said.
Mamata chose her words carefully: "We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat convent. We have ordered a CID probe that will examine all aspects of this horrific crime. The government will take swift, strongest possible action against the culprits." The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh reward for the capture of the rapists, said SP Arnab Ghosh.
CCTV footage shows 3 men in convent staff room in Nadia where a nun was allegedly gangraped #BengalGangrapes https://t.co/rlgiW9FEPs
Christian missionaries have a significant presence in Ranaghat and neighbouring areas, particularly in education.
According to the complaint lodged by the school, seven to eight armed
robbers overpowered the security guard and stormed its compound around
2.30am. The guard was tied up. Holding a pistol to his head, the gang
forced its way into the main building. An investigator said that the
gang tried to destroy a CCTV camera near the gate but failed. The
staff-room CCTV has captured the faces of four robbers.
"The
gang then moved to the first floor where the nuns have their residential
quarters. A senior sister resisted them when they tried to loot
valuables and cash. She was sexually assaulted," a source said. "Two
other nuns cowered in fear in nearby rooms while the violence went on
for more than an hour. It was nearly dawn by the time they left. The
screams of the nuns alerted locals and they helped move the injured nun
to hospital.'' School principal Sister P Mary Shanti confirmed this. The
gang looted Rs 12 lakh in cash, say agency reports.
Questions
are being raised over the role of police. Sources said the missionary
school had sought protection from Gangnapur police station nearly a
fortnight ago but the officers did nothing. In fact, there is a police
outpost just 100 metres from the school that is supposed to carry out
regular patrols. The robbers carried out the rape and rampage inside the
school for over an hour but no policeman bothered to check, school
authorities said.
News of the rape triggered demonstrations by
parents of children of the convent and residents of Ranaghat. Trains
were blocked on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section and traffic on NH34 was
badly affected. Senior administrative and police officers had to
intervene to prevent the protests from snowballing into a crisis. Nadia
district magistrate P B Salim said the nun was recovering and there was
no immediate need to move her to Kolkata. "It was a heinous act and we
have initiated an investigation," he said.
Source: TOI
