NCPCR Alleges West Bengal Child Rights Body Disrupting Its Probe In Rape Case

NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo on Saturday alleged that members of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) disrupted his investigation into the gang rape of a girl at a school in Malda district. Kanoongo reached the girl's house with his team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in Gazole police station area around 8.50 am, but WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy was already present there. Kanoongo came out of the house within minutes, and told reporters, "The state team was disrupting our investigation."

Soon, a verbal spat broke out between the state and the central teams. BJP workers, who were waiting outside the house, started protesting, triggering tension in the area. Roy claimed that they did not stop the NCPCR team from investigating the case, but Kanoongo was trying to politicise the issue. A class 6 student was allegedly gang-raped by some outsiders at her school on March 18. Three people were arrested in connection with the incident, according to police.

Later, Kanoongo and his team visited the school where the incident took place. The NCPCR was investigating the case after BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury filed a complaint, sources said. Kanoongo on Friday alleged that he was roughed up by police officers when visiting the house of a girl in Kolkata's Tiljala area who was killed by a neighbour earlier this week. Police, however, rejected the allegation and said officers had cooperated with him, and it was Kanoongo who "misbehaved" with them.