National Commission for Women panel to probe recent rape cases

KOLKATA: The Centre is sending an inquiry committee to probe recent rape cases in the state.
The panel was formed after the National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognizance of some cases in the state. and for that the team is coming to probe the cases next week.
The members of the panel will also hold meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, chief secretary, DGP and police commissioner as part of their fact finding mission.
NCW secretary Anita Agnihotri had written to the state's chief secretary Samar Ghosh that they were worried over rising rape and sexual assault cases in the state. In her letter on March 22, she wrote that the rapes that
NCW had taken cognizance of cases like the Park Street rape, sexual assault on a five-year-old at Namkhana and the tribal rape case of a tribal woman
at Suriand another tribal at Jangalmahal
. Moreover, the commission has been greatly aggrieved learning about the rape and murder of Munia Devi at Howrah. Even the NCW is worried with the report of rape of a deaf and dumb girl at Bankura Medical College hospital by a doctor, Anita mentioned in her letter. The NCW team will also probe the rape at Katwa, where a widow was raped at gun point.
Alarmed by increasing rapes, she wrote that "The spate of atrocities repeatedly created condition of insecurity for women in the state." She mentioned that the NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma has asked for a thorough probe into the incidents. For that NCW is sending a probe team. The probe team will be headed by Wansuk Syiem, member of NCW. The other members will be Anita Agnihotri and Nirmala Sawant Prabhalkar, another member of NCW.
Moreover, on Tuesday there had been two incidents of rape. One Tuesday night a Trinamool Congress supporter Krishna Chandra Mal was murdered by dacoits at Polba in Hooghly and her wife was raped. This week a rape victim's nephew was murdered at North Dinajpur's Goalpokhar, as the victim had refused to withdraw the case.
Agnihotri said NCW, under its act, had formed the panel to probe into the incidents and would submit report within 10 days after talking to the victims. The team will also recommend action against those involved in the cases. Moreover the team will also probe allegations of sexual assault on some ICDS workers in South 24-Parganas.
The team will meet some victims, who have already got justice, to find out if they are happy with the verdict. For that the team will also inquire the circumstances leading to the incidents and the action taken by the administration. The team will also meet police officials and doctors to make a thorough probe into the incidents. The committee will also suggest remedial action as well to prevent recurrence of regular crime against women.