The CBI on Tuesday questioned the father of the Nadia gangrape prime accused for nearly seven hours in connection with the alleged incident that took place on April 4. The minor girl had died of excessive bleeding the next day. Samarendra Gayali, a panchayat member owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress, was summoned by the agency officials to their camp office. The CBI officials said they wanted to know whether he knew about the incident and if he was involved in threatening the victim's family members after the incident. They also questioned him to ascertain if he had any involvement in the girl's cremation that was done hurriedly without conducting post-mortem on the body. His son Braj Gopal Gayali, alias Sohail (21) was arrested a day after the victim's family filed a complaint. A total of six persons have been arrested in the case. The girl was dropped home by a woman while bleeding around 7:30pm on April 4 after attending a birthday party to which Sohail had invited her. The case was taken over by the CBI on the directions of the Calcutta High Court. Besides Braj Gopal, his friends Prabhakar Poddar and Ranjit Mullick are among those arrested. Earlier, searches were conducted at their residences and “samples and evidences” were collected by the CBI along with a forensic team. On April 17, the federal agency had taken DNA samples of Braj Gopal and the victim's parents. Earlier, DNA samples were also collected by a forensic team from the spot where the girl was cremated, about 250 metres from her residence.
