West Bengal: Missing girl returns, kept in police custody

West Bengal Inspector General of Police (Law and Order ) Anuj Sharma on Monday officially announced the news from the state's main administrative building Nabanna.

He said, "The girl who was missing since May 5, she has returned on her own. According to her statement, she was neither gangraped nor kidnapped. She had fled from her house. The girl does not want to go home back as her family used to torture her."

"This girl had fro fled from her house earlier in last February and returned home after few days," Anuj Sharma added.

Earlier it was alleged that the 14-year-girl was raped in February and abducted on May 5. Her family had lodged a complaint in Magrahat police station against four local youths. Her father claimed that she was gangraped while returning home in February and the rapists told him not to lodge police complaint.

When the girl went missing in May, her father claimed that his daughter had been kidnapped by the local miscreants who had raped her earlier.

Meanwhile, demanding the rescue of the girl, the West Bengal BJP unit led by BJP's state president Rahul Sinha went to the village and had started sit-in-demonstration there for last five days. They claimed that the rapists and kidnappers were sheltered by the state's ruling party Trinamool Congress.

Three members of central BJP including MJ Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Saroj Pandey also visited the girl's home on Sunday.

When the missing girl's father filled a writ petition to the Kolkata High Court, Justice Dipankar Dutta on July 16 ordered the DG of WB Police to rescue the girl within ten days and produce her before the court on July 27.

A 3-member-team of National Commission for Women (NCW) led by its chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam visited the girl's house on Monday and said that crimes against women in the state had increased.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien tweeted against the remarks of the NCW chief.

"Women in Bengal are very safe. Madam, before you make sweeping statements, may we ask you two questions- how safe are 'you' in Delhi? Is this a political statement you are making...?" O'Brien posted.

But, the girl became traceable on Monday.

The superintended of police of South 24 Parganas district Sunil Choudhury told IBNS: "The girl called up the police and shared her location under Sonarpur police station area. Our officers went to the place and rescued her. The girl said that she was not kidnapped. She also said that she did not want to go home back. So, we have decided to send her to a home in Sonarpur."

"We have started investigation into this matter. We will produce her in the court for recording of her statement," he said.

After the return of this girl, the logic of BJP's demonstration and allegations are in question.

However, BJP's WB president Rahul Sinha told IBNS, "I am still here on the demonstration stage in Magrahat. I am very happy with the news of her return. Local people are celebrating. But I have one question - why the girl returns after we had started demonstration? What the police were doing these days?"

To counter the statement of Rahul Sinha and BJP's demonstration, TMC MP Derek O'Brien tweeted: "So the 'kidnapped gilr' case in Mograhat turned out to be a #TwitterHoax, pushed by one TV channel and the Sanghi's online fundoos. Mograhat girl retuned home safe, denied kidnapping. Rightwing tried communal card before Eid, Trinamool July 21 event #TwitterHoax."

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)