Agartala: The Women’s Police Station of East Agartala arrested a 35 -yrs old employee of the Tripura health department and a leader of the ruling BJP’s employee’s front on Sunday from Kumarghat in Unokoti district based on the complaint of rape by a 17 -yrs old destitute girl.
The officer-in-charge of the police station Paramita Saha on Monday said the accused is identified as Laxman Basfore working as support staff in the state referral hospital Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital of the city and he admitted the crime.
This is the sixth case of rape in 10 days in different locations in the state, which turned the political situation volatile and embarrassed BJP led government in Tripura barely three months ahead of assembly elections.
The opposition parties blamed the government for its alleged failure to protect the women and arrest the deteriorating law and order situation.
According to the complaint, the victim lived in a home in the city after the death of her parents at a tender age. A few months ago, one of her distant relatives – the mother of the accused Laxman
took her to their house, and thereafter she was used to bringing to the family.
Sometimes back one day, Laxman administered her some tranquilizing medicine at their home and raped her. Subsequently, she was sexually abused by the accused several times in the same manner. Recently, she was diagnosed as pregnant at three months. Immediately, she lodged an FIR against Laxman, and police during the investigation found him at Kumarghat and arrested him.
“This government failed to provide a decent job to the people of Tripura, which indulged them to get into the drug racket and many other anti-social activities. Since the BJP party has no control over its cadres, they become ruthless and join in hooliganism. On average 13 women are raped daily in Tripura and the rate is increasing day by day, as frustration grips the young generations,” observed Congress MLA Sudip Roybarman.
He alleged all the rape cases it was found that all the accused belong to the ruling party and were very close to BJP leaders even the son of Labour Minister Bhagaban Das. But in no case, the accused are booked under appropriate sections of the law that encourage frustrated people to
target women, Roybarman stated.
Meanwhile, SDPO Panisagar Souvik De said that police registered an FIR on Sunday and launched
a search against the accused persons based on the complaint of a 25-yrs old housewife who was allegedly gang-raped on Oct0ber 26 evening in a car led by her husband.
Earlier, the victim alleged that Panisagar police station in North Tripura didn’t register the FIR of a rape victim for four days citing the silly reason of operational jurisdiction of the crime scene. The police recorded the statement of the victim and conducted a medical test four days after the incident on Monday.
De said, “The matter was not known to him until it came to the media. As per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, police can register a case in such crime anywhere in the country but when it comes to investigation the jurisdiction of the case is shifted to the local police, and in such cases, zero FIR from the concerned police station needs to be taken by the victim. There was no intention of the police to harass her or help any criminal.”
According to Unokoti district police, the lady when reached Kailashahar Police Station on October 26 night she was advised to go to the hospital for a medical test, and immediately, the matter was reported to its Panisagar counterpart. She was advised after her treatment police will take action based on her statement, as her allegation was against the husband whom she accompanied.
“Because of procedural formalities and her unwillingness to medical tests have delayed registering FIR, the investigation was started. Her allegation against the police was not valid as the incident happened between husband and wife and she was willingly gone with her legal husband,” a senior police officer of Unokoti said.
