After the alleged rape and murder of a minor girl in West Bengal's Kaliaganj, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were clamped in parts of Uttar Dinajpur district on Sunday following clashes between police and locals, an official said.
According to a report by NDTV, the post-mortem report showed poisoning as the cause of death. The state police appealed to people to not share misinformation regarding the incident, the report said.
The prohibitory orders were imposed hours before the visit of representatives of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights led by its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo to the deceased's family.
"Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed for a fortnight from today as a precautionary measure, though the duration is subject to review. As per the law, we will not allow congregation of four or more people. Action will be taken against violators," the official said.
Kanoongo, however, was allowed to visit the girl's family along with three other representatives of the NCPCR. He was accompanied by police. The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights alleged that Kanoongo and his team have visited the area in a bid to "politicise the matter" and that they were violating the CPCR Act.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPRCR) chairperson Ananya Chakraborty alleged that the NCPCR team's visit was "absolutely not needed".
"The NCPCR blatantly violated the CPCR Act and entered West Bengal illegally with the sole purpose of maligning the state. They took along with them a large contingent of journalists to the deceased's house in complete violation of the prohibitory orders. This is shameful. They should have informed us about their visit and taken our feedback in the case," Chakraborty told PTI.
"Ignoring the presence of the state commission for Protection of child rights, the NCPCR blatantly violates that CPCR Act and enters West Bengal," the body said in a tweet.
Yesterday, the state BJP chief and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar visited the victim's family and alleged the police were incapable of investigating the incident. They were reportedly stopped by the police from visiting the town.
Meanwhile, an eerie calm prevailed at Kaliaganj amid heavy deployment of police forces in the area. Police have arrested six people in connection with their involvement in clashes with police and vandalism following the recovery of the minor's body from a canal on Friday.
A case was filed under Section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint filed by the girl's mother. The preliminary post-mortem report revealed there was no injury to the body, Uttar Dinajpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Sana Akhtar claimed.
(With inputs from PTI)
