Eight persons were detained in connection with the rape of a 70-year-old nun in a school at Ranaghat in West Bengal’s Nadia district. Police officials claimed that it was not a case of gang rape.
“On the basis of what the nun told me, we can confirm that one person raped her,” a senior police official told The Hindu .
Arnab Ghosh, Superintendent of Police, Nadia district, said: “Eight persons were detained on Sunday and are being interrogated.” However, he refused to divulge the details of the four men seen in the convent’s CCTV camera. “We are investigating and cannot reveal anything,” Mr. Ghosh said.
The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday when a group of dacoits barged into the Convent of Jesus and Mary. The nun was raped when she tried to resist them.
The police have announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh for any one who can provide information on the accused. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation Department into the case.
The incident was widely condemned. Working president of the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba (Bengal Christian Council) Herod Mullick, who visited the place during the day, claimed that dacoity was not the real motive behind the incident. “We see a conspiracy,” Mr. Mullick said.
State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Surjya Kanta Mishra, said the role of the police was shameful. “Why have the police been unable to make any arrests so far despite CCTV footage? The women of the area say they feel unsafe.”
Condemning the incident, Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said: “Any kind of attack on any religious institution is condemnable. I have full faith in the State government and firmly believe that it will ensure a thorough investigation.”
Claiming that Trinamool Congress cadres were involved in the act, BJP State president Rahul Sinha challenged the State government to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Sunanda Mukherjee, Chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women, claimed that even though the school authorities had complained to the police about feeling threatened, the police had not taken any action.
