A court directed a team from AIIMS Kalyani to conduct the autopsy of a schoolgirl who was raped and murdered in West Bengal. The procedure will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital and will be supervised by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Baruipur. The case has drawn significant attention due to the brutal nature of the crime.
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court, mandated that the post-mortem examination of the 11-year-old girl, who allegedly raped and murdered in Jaynagar, West Bengal, be conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial (JNM) Hospital in Kalyani on October 7.
The girl reported missing on Friday night and later discovered deceased in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, while hearing a petition filed by the family of the 11-year-old victim amidst widespread protests in Kultali, Joynagar, questioned why charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act had not been filed by the police, despite the inquest report indicating multiple injuries on the girl’s body. This information shared by senior lawyer Bilwadal Bhattacharya, who represented the Centre.
The girl’s body found in a swamp on Friday night, just hours after she had gone missing. The suspect, 18-year-old Mostakin Sardar, arrested early Saturday morning at around 3 AM and was remanded to police custody.
“We can add charges under POCSO once we receive the post-mortem report,”
Baruipur police superintendent Palash Chandra Dhali informed the media following the arrest.
An autopsy will be performed by a team from AIIMS Kalyani, utilizing the facilities at JNM Hospital, and the procedure will be supervised by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Baruipur.
This development follows the victim’s family’s objections to having the autopsy performed at a state-run facility.
The High Court instructed that if the parents wish, they can observe the autopsy proceedings virtually from outside the post-mortem room. If they prefer not to be present, an alternate, comfortable space will be provided for them nearby, the bench noted.
Additionally, the court mandated that the doctors from AIIMS Kalyani must communicate the findings of the autopsy directly to the family once the procedure is completed.
In the meantime, police sources have indicated that the suspect arrested in connection with the case has confessed to the murder but denied the act of rape.
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During interrogation, the accused, Mostakin Sardar, admitted that he attempted to rape the girl but ended up killing her when she resisted. He subsequently disposed of her body in a canal close by, according to police. A murder case filed, and authorities are currently awaiting the autopsy results for further investigation.
The tragic incident has sent ripples of anger and grief throughout West Bengal, calling for heightened scrutiny of the mechanisms in place to protect children from sexual violence and abuse. Advocacy groups and local residents alike have expressed their solidarity with the victim’s family, demanding justice and accountability for the heinous crime. Moreover, this case highlights the larger issue of child safety and the urgent need for systemic reforms in how such sensitive matters are handled by law enforcement and judicial systems.