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Six found guilty in Kamduni rape-murder, punishment to be announced tomorrow

by IBNS 28 Jan 2016, 12:32 am

Kolkata, Jan 28 (IBNS): After two and half years a 21-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered while returning home from college at Kamduni village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, a sessions court in Kolkata on Thursday found six of the eight accused guilty in the case which kicked off a political firestorm.

The Additional District Sessions judge of the Bankshall Court in Kolkata, Sanchita Sarkar  served the verdict while the quantum punishment would be pronounced tomorrow. 

On June 7 evening in 2013, a BA second year student was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by few local miscreants inside an isolated compound at Kamduni village, while she was returning home from college after an examination. Her brutalized body was found on the next day.

Nine were arrested in connection with this case and charged under IPC sections 376D, 376A, 302, 341, 201, 120B and 109. One of them- Gopal Naskar (65)- died of fever and septicaemia on Aug 1 last year in custody during the trial while the other eight are in judicial custody.

The year-long hearing in the trial of the case  ended earlier at the city sessions court in Kolkata on Dec 22.

Demanding justice and exemplary punishment for the culprits, the Kamduni residents began their protest from the morning of  June 8 in 2013 and the Kamduni Pratibadi Mancha (KPM) was formed which strengthened the protest movement later. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the brothers of the victim on June 12 and offered a government job to the elder brother and also promised to bear the cost of treatment of the victim's parents and the cost of education of the younger brother. Refusing the CM's help, the victim's brothers demanded capital punishment for the accused.

The Chief Minister's visit to the village and family also created a controversy when she dubbed some protesting women as those being linked to Maoists and rival communists. 

One protester of KPM, Mausumi Kayal told IBNS, "We are waiting for the announcement of verdict and quantum of punishment as well. All accused should be given death penalty."

Meanwhile, members of KPM, including Mausumi Kayal and another protester Tumpa Kayal, went to meet the commissioner of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate on Wednesday, demanding the establishment of a permanent police outpost at Kamduni village, for the protection of the villagers.

However, police commissioner Javed Shamim was not present that time and the KPM members met Deputy Commissioner (Hdq) Nishad Parvej and put forward their demand.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)