Kultuli case: Stop media trials in rape cases: Bengal CM pushes for POCSO charges, death for culprits

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also directed the police to register the alleged rape-murder case of a 10-year-old girl at Kultuli in South 24 Parganas district under the POCSO Act, and ensure the culprits get capital punishment in three months.

Banerjee, speaking at the Kolkata Police Body Guard Lines after virtually inaugurating several Durga Pujas, asserted that crime had no colour, caste or religion.

Taking exception to “media trials” in rape cases, Banerjee said these must stop as these could hamper investigations. Referring to the protests in Kultuli following the recovery of the girl’s body, she said the protesters should also protest against “bad videos” shown on social media, which were spoiling the children and fuelling their inclination towards crime.

She further said, “Even if a small incident happens in West Bengal, there is much hullabaloo. But in case of similar cases in other places, people remain mum.” Alleging that artificial intelligence was being used to create fake videos, Banerjee cautioned people not to blindly trust any video showing her giving speeches without properly verifying.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered that a second post-mortem be conducted on the schoolgirl, who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in South 24 Parganas district.

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, hearing a petition filed by the girl’s parents, directed that the second post-mortem be conducted at AIIMS Hospital in Kalyani on Monday in the presence of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Baruipur court. Justice Ghosh also ordered that the police should register a case under the POCSO Act. If AIIMS Kalyani lacks the necessary infrastructure to conduct the post-mortem, it should be carried out at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital, but the post-mortem must be done by doctors from the Kalyani AIIMS, not those from the state-run hospital.