Minor gangraped, set on fire in Bengal

Kolkata : A 14-year-old girl was gangraped and set on fire by the accused in West Bengal, police said Wednesday. Two people have been arrested and a minor detained.

The incident happened Tuesday in Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district, some 30 km from Kolkata.

“The victim was alone at her home when three people forcibly entered it and raped her. The accused later set her on fire,” Superintendent of Police Pravin Tripathi told IANS.

Two people were arrested and a minor was detained. The victim was undergoing treatment at hospital, he said.

The father of the victim, a daily wage labourer, filed a complaint late Tuesday night, he said.

The victim with 65 percent burns was initially admitted to a local nursing home in the district but was later shifted to the government-run Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital.

“She has 65 percent burns and her condition is very critical. We cannot conduct a medical test to ascertain rape unless her condition is stable,” hospital Superintendent T.K. Ghosh said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had Monday slammed “a section of media” for allegedly highlighting rape cases to target her government. She said they published “canards and exaggerated negative news items” to show her administration in bad light.