Bengal teen who set herself ablaze succumbs

KOLKATA: A 15-year-old girl who had set herself on fire on April 14 at Maynaguri in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district following threats from a man who allegedly tried to rape her in February, died in hospital early on Monday morning, police said.

“My daughter suffered more than 60% burns. She died at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri,” the father of the minor girl told reporters. “I demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation although the local police have arrested the accused and his brother.”

The Class 8 student escaped the alleged rape attempt on February 28. The main accused, Ajay Roy, and his brother Bijay, who is a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker, were arrested by Maynaguri police on April 15, a day after the girl attempted to die by suicide. The two accused are now in the judicial custody.

“Additional charges will be brought against the accused since the minor has died,” a Jalpaiguri

district police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The girl’s father said the family began facing threats after lodging a police complaint in March. “The accused went into hiding and got an anticipatory bail from court. On April 13, when my daughter was alone at home, two unidentified youths came to our house and threatened to kill her and the entire family if she did not withdraw her complaint against Ajay Roy,” he said. “My daughter tried to kill herself out of fear and humiliation,” he added.

“The girl would have been alive had police taken action immediately after the rape attempt two months ago,” CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim said.

Shibshankar Dutta, TMC’S Maynaguri 2 community block unit chief, said: “...we want to make it clear that our party has nothing to do with the crime. Law will take its own course.”