Father of Bengal gang-rape victim wants CBI inquiry

The father of the 16-year-old gang-rape victim, who died of burns after she was allegedly set ablaze, on Monday filed a petition before the Calcutta high court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident.

Claiming that the state police has been lackadaisical in investigating the case since October 26 when the hapless girl was gang-raped near her residence at Madhyamgram in North 24-Parganas district, her father Ramshankar Jha prayed for a CBI investigation.

The petitioner also claimed that with the police having failed to provide adequate security to the girl and her family after she was shifted to a different area for more security it is difficult to put faith on such force to hold a proper investigation, Jha'sounsel Rabiskhankar Chattopadhyay said.

The matter is likely to be taken up before the court of Justice Dipankar Dutta on January 9.

The victim, daughter of a taxi driver, was gang-raped on October 26 last year and again when she was returning home after lodging a police complaint.

She died in hospital last week due to burn injuries after she was allegedly set ablaze by associates of the rape accused.

All the accused in connection with the gang-rape and alleged murder have been arrested.

Image: Women activists participate in a protest in Kolkata

Photograph: Dipak Chakroborty/Rediff.com