Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 7, 2003
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=17977
Went Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya's repeated claims that the state was an 'oasis' as far as
crime was concerned were belied last night when one person was killed and
six girls raped by heavily armed robbers at Dhantala village in Nadia district.
The incident took place around midnight,
when the dacoits stopped two buses and a Tata Sumo carrying about 150 wedding
invitees. The dacoits loot the passengers and then took some girls to a
nearby under construction madarsa where their modesty was outraged. The
mayhem continued for about three hours.
When the driver of one bus, Samir
Ghosh, protested against the dacoity and rapes, the dacoits ''put a pistol
on his temple and shot him. He died immediately,'' one of the victims told
reporters.
DIG Murshidabad D.P. Tarenia said,
''That the modesty of about 10 girls was outraged is confirmed. And though
no formal complaint has been lodged, we have information that 6-7 girls
were raped by the dacoits. We are investigating the matter and five people
have already been arrested.''