West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) has written to the state Election Commission asking that immediate steps be taken against a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) jawan who is accused of molesting a minor girl. The incident was reported from Hooghly district just a day before the accused jawan served on election duty during phase three of the ongoing assembly elections.

The child rights body has asked that the case be investigated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written that there was a threat to other women that the jawan was allowed to leave for election duty, reported The Telegraph.

According to the news report WBCPCR chairperson Ananya Chakraborti, had visited the home of the girl on Wednesday. Chakraborti’s letter to the chief election commissioner of Bengal stated, “If the victim is a minor, it is mandatory to start a case under Pocso Act and the accused should be arrested immediately. I personally met the victim who told me that she had ghastly been molested by the jawan who even offered money to her. We are surprised that police can treat such a serious case so lightly.” Another letter had been sent to the local police asking why the investigation in the case was not started.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien had also written to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal about this case where a tribal girl, who is a minor, was brutally sexually assaulted, allegedly by the jawan. According to O’Brien, the incident took place in Tarakeshwar in Hooghly in the early hours of April 6, and the survivor is a resident of Ramnagar GP. The jawan involved has not been named. While a complaint has been registered with the Tarakeshwar police station, O’Brien has written to the EC demanding a detailed investigation. O’Brien also went on to say that there were other instances that had come to light “where CRPF personnel are intimidating voters and telling them to vote for the BJP.”

According to the Telegraph's news report, the police did not arrest the accused jawan and allowed him to leave despite the commission’s directive to the law enforcers not to do so. However, the superintendent of police of Hooghly rural district, Amandeep, has reportedly claimed the allegation was that the CAPF jawan had tried to molest the girl and the probe was going on, “The process of identification is over and the girl’s statement has been recorded. Today (Thursday), she was sent to court to record her statement in front of a judicial magistrate.”  

When questioned by the media on why the jawan had not been arrested so far, the SP reportedly said, “The complaint was that the jawan tried to molest the girl.” The Telegraph reported that Chakraborti, has reacted sharply to this and said, “It is horrible if the SP speaks like that. I met the girl who told me how a gruesome assault was carried out on her. She was complaining of illness too.”

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