A day after clashes were reported between the police and locals in Uttar Dinajpur’s Kaliaganj following the alleged rape and murder a 17-year-old girl, prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPc were imposed for a fortnight in the area, police said on Sunday. Tension prevailed in some parts of Kaliaganj on Sunday with heavy police deployed in the area. Meanwhile, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanoongo met the family of the victim on Sunday and questioned the alleged delay in recording the statements of the girl’s family. Kanoongo’s visit drew criticism from the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) who accused him of doing “politics over the death of the girl”. According to reports, the 17-year-old girl's body was found on the bank of a pond on Friday, a day after she allegedly went missing. “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 a congregation of four or more people. Action will be taken against violators,” a police official said. Kanoongo and three other NCPCR members visited Kaliaganj in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district and met the girl's family. Speaking to The Indian Express, the NCPCR chairperson questioned the alleged ‘delay on the part of the police in recording the statements of the girl's family.” “They are saying she died due to consuming poison. Even if we believe that poison was found in her body, my question is how is it being called a suicide and not a murder. Also, what kind of poison was it? Where did she get it? I will submit a report and if required will summon the Investigating Officer and other officials to Delhi if I fail to meet them,” he added. Kanoongo’s visit triggered a sharp response from the WBCPCR. “The NCPCR team is taking a large contingent of media persons with them to the victim’s house in Kaliaganj in complete violation of section 144 in place there! Shameful. Doing politics with the dead bodies of children in West Bengal by the keepers of child rights! Shameful NCPCR!,” the commission tweeted on Sunday. “Exposing an already distraught family to a large media despite their plea to be left alone to mourn. Child Rights? Shameful,” read another of its tweets. “It is regrettable the way NCPCR and it’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo is commenting on the state of children and women in West Bengal. He is making provocative comments without verifying facts. This could lead to law and order situation,” the commission tweeted. WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy said, “They are repeatedly breaking the rules. They never inform us that they are coming. They completely bypass the WBCPCR. As per rules, they should work in coordination with us. The kind of comments that Priyank Kanoongo is making without knowing the facts is illegal and today he has taken the people of the press to the place where section 144 is applicable.” Reacting to Roy’s allegations, Kanoongo said, “I don't want to talk about any incompetent body working at the behest of any incompetent government led by an incompetent chief minister.” On Friday, a day after she went missing, the 17-year-old's body was found on the banks of a pond. Her family alleged she was raped and murdered, police said. “The post-mortem examination report shows there was no injury to the body,” North Dinajpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Sana Akhtar had said on Saturday. However, following a complaint submitted by the girl's family, a case was filed under IPC Section 302 (murder) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked. The incident has also prompted sharp reactions from political circles. BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “What happened in Kaliaganj following the girl’s death was out of people’s anger and the state government is unnecessarily blaming the BJP to divert attention. What is the objection is the NCPCR wants to visit the spot and meet the family. What are they trying to hide? The way the state leaders are giving statements, the way the WBCPCR have attacked NCPCR on Twitter and the way the police took away the girl's body definitely raises doubts. Who are they trying to save?” CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “It is unfortunate that the state commission and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights are fighting over the death of a child. The state commission rushes to the spot after they see a NCPCR representative visiting the spot. This is what happens when commissions operate at the behest of political parties." Hitting back, TMC leader and state minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay accused the BJP of trying to “malign the image of state” and “disturb the law and order situation”. “The post-mortem examination report and initial investigation suggests suicide as they found poison in her body. Any death is unfortunate and a crime is a crime but to portray something which is far from the fact is also a crime. The BJP is just trying to malign the image of the state and to disturb the law and order situation of the state,” he said. Accusing the BJP of “politicising” the issue, TMC MP Shantanu Sen said, “The post-mortem examination suggests that poison was found in the girl's body. The post-mortem examination is the last thing in any incident and here the post mortem is saying she died of poison. Despite that, if they (family) is saying otherwise, then maybe they have been brainwashed to say all that. We have seen how Arjun Chowrasia's death was politicised by Amit Shah and the BJP while it was just a case of suicide.” Arjun Chowrasia was a BJP Yuva Morcha worker who was found hanging in Kolkata's Kashipur area in May 2022. Union Minister Amit Shah had visited his home and met his family. He had also demanded a CBI inquiry into the case. - With PTI inputs
