West Bengal: Two Minor Tribal Sisters Gang-Raped; One Dies By Suicide

A day after the sisters consumed pesticide, the elder of the two died on Monday, while the other girl is in critical condition at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, the police said on Tuesday, September 8.

The girls, aged 16 years and 14 years, had gone out with some locals youths on September 4, their family said. They were reportedly sexually assaulted and the medical report is awaited.

"We thought they went out as usual. However, they were missing for two days and came back on September 6," the girls' brother was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

After the sisters started feeling unwell, their family took them to a local hospital, which in turn referred them to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

"At the hospital, my sisters told us that they were gang-raped by five men and how they managed to escape and reach home. Then we got to know that they consumed poison after coming back home, due to which they fell sick," the brother said.

The police have arrested three of the five accused on charges of rape and abetment to suicide. On Tuesday, the accused were produced in Jalpaiguri court and sent to police custody for seven days.

"The elder sister died on Monday night while the other one is in hospital. We are probing the case from all angles. The family has claimed both were raped, and after returning they consumed pesticides," a police officer said.

"Primarily, the family has claimed that they only came to know about the rape after the girls consumed poison and were rushed to the hospital," the officer added.

Meanwhile, after the elder sister's body was brought to the village on Tuesday, residents protested and pointed fingers at the police. Furthermore, the local TMC MLA Khageswar Ray met the sisters' father and said he had asked the administration to take strict action against the culprits.