Tribal woman gang-raped in West Bengal

A tribal woman had been allegedly gang-raped in West Bengal’s East Bardhaman district on the early hours of Wednesday. The incident took place in the Kalna area of the district.

Sources in the district police said that the three accused in the case were waiting outside the woman’s house on Tuesday night. When she stepped outside in the wee hours of Wednesday they pounced on her and dragged her to a desolate place.

“The accused threatened her by holding a sickle to her throat. Somehow she was able to escape from their clutches under the cover of darkness,” said a senior district police official. He also said that the woman was admitted to a local state-run hospital and was in a critical condition.

Police sources further revealed that the accused were tracking her movement for several days and were aware that she was alone at her home as her husband was living in Hooghly district for employment purposes.

One person was arrested in relation to the case while another was detained. District police officials said that they were interrogating the accused and speaking to locals to determine the motive behind the crime. They said that the hunt was on for the other accused.

The incident comes days after the alleged gang rape and subsequent death of a Dalit woman at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh created nationwide outrage. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had slammed BJP over the incident.