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With the change of power in West Bengal, the new government of Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari has come into full action mode. The dust of old files to violence and crime that happened during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee government is now beginning to be cleared. After the file of the shocking gang rape and murder case that took place in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was reopened, now the rumor of reopening the file of another much talked about and soul chilling ‘Kamduni Gang Rape Case’ of Bengal has become very strong. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya himself has given strong indications of this in the political climate of Bengal.

Victim’s family reached BJP office, demand for new investigation intensified

Actually, this whole matter gained momentum when on Monday (May 25) the mother and brother of the Kamduni gangrape victim suddenly reached the BJP office in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Prominent face of Kamduni movement and activist Tumpa Kayal was also present with him. Here all of them had a very important meeting with BJP State President Samik Bhattacharya. According to sources, during this closed-door meeting, there was a serious discussion about conducting a fresh and impartial investigation into the Kamduni gangrape case. According to Bengali media reports, Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari may personally meet the Kamduni victim’s family during a public meeting next Monday, raising hopes of a major U-turn in the case.

Fear among criminals after suspension of 3 IPS officers

The way strict measures have been taken regarding law and order as soon as the government changed in Bengal, it has given sleepless nights to the criminals. As soon as the files of the RG tax case were opened, three senior IPS officers considered close to the Mamata government – ​​Vineet Goyal, Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta have been suspended. After this major surgery in the police department, now the discussion is in full swing in political and social circles whether the turn has come to expose the loopholes of the then system through ‘Kamduni files’?

What was the dreadful Kamduni gangrape case of 2013?

This painful story is of June 7, 2013, which shook the entire country. A 21-year-old student (BA second year) was returning home from college in Kamduni village under Barasat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. During this time, nine criminals kidnapped him. The accused took her to a closed factory located in an isolated place, where she was gang-raped. The brutality did not stop here, after the gang rape, the victim was brutally and brutally murdered. The next day, the girl’s body was found packed in a sack in a nearby field. After this incident, there was anger among the local people and a big mass movement named ‘Kamduni Pratiwadi Manch’ was formed for justice.

Lower court’s decision: Three to be hanged, three to life imprisonment

After public anger and all-round pressure, the police arrested a total of nine people in this case, out of which one accused died during the trial. In January 2016, a lower court in Kolkata had delivered a historic verdict convicting six accused, while acquitting two due to lack of evidence. The court had sentenced Ansar Ali, Sheikh Amin Ali and Saiful Ali to death as the main culprits of this heinous crime, while Aminur Islam, Shokh Inamul and Bholanath were given life imprisonment.

When the family’s heart was broken by the High Court’s decision

The real turning point in this case came when, exactly 10 years after the lower court’s decision, on 6 October 2023, the Calcutta High Court overturned the death sentence of the three main accused. The High Court upheld the life imprisonment of only two convicts and acquitted the remaining four. This decision devastated the victim’s family and the entire Kamduni village. But not giving up, the women and local people of the village took to the streets and continued the fight for justice, regardless of the threats.

‘The investigation report was made in such a way that the judge had no option other than acquittal.’

Taking a tough stance on this matter on Monday, Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya raised serious questions on the then system. He said, ‘The people of West Bengal want the files of Kamduni to be reopened. The old investigation report of this case was deliberately prepared in such a way that the honorable judge was left with no other option but to acquit the accused on technical grounds. Let us tell you that even during the days of the movement, activist Tumpa Kayal had met Shubhendu Adhikari, who was the leader of the opposition at that time, and then Shubhendu Adhikari had given full assurance of justice if he came to power. Now that he himself is the Chief Minister of the state, the people of Kamduni are seeing a new ray of justice.