Girl allegedly burnt alive in Mathabhanga

 

COOCH BEHAR, June 28: An allegation over burning a 15-year-old girl alive is turning the political situation hot in Cooch Behar. Receiving a complaint from the mother of the victim the police started an investigation into the matter. Trinamul Congress supremo Miss Mamata Bannerjee took the allegation seriously and asked the party's district leadership to submit a report to her after inquiring the matter immediately.

 

It was learnt that Madhabi Barman (15) of Dakshin Nalgram under Mathabhanga sub-division was suffering from illness for some time. Some villagers allegedly cremated her alive on last Friday morning by ignoring her mother's appeal. Her father, Mr Lalit Barman was also absent at that time. The victim's mother Mrs Banubala Barman alleged that some villagers, stated to be CPI-M supporters, were disturbing her daughter for a long with ill motivated proposals but Madhabi never agreed to their proposals. This probably aroused anger among those men, she said.

 

Madhabi's mother said the seven men appeared there house on last Thursday night and told her parents that their sick daughter died and needs cremation. Her father, Mr Lalit Barman and her mother protested and the seven had to go back. On the next morning they appeared again when Mr Barman was not in the house. They allegedly forcefully took away Madhabi's body to the cremation ground and set fire on her body placing it on the pyre. Her limbs (hands and legs) were trembling till then, her shocked mother alleged. She tried to rescue her daughter's body but those men restrained her from doing so.

 

Yesterday, Mrs Barman lodged a complaint to the sub-divisional police officer of Mathabhanga, Mr Ananda Roy. Mr Roy said they started an investigation into the allegation.

 

Today, media persons visited the village and talked with the victim's mother and some other villagers. An ex-Gram Panchayat member and CPI-M's branch committee secretary Mr Rabindranath Barman termed the allegation as baseless. He claimed that they cremated Madhabi's body after taking permission from her parents. The girl had died on Thursday night and she was cremated on Friday, he said. Purta Karmadhyaksha of Sitalkuchi Panchayat Samity Mr Girindra Nath Barman too echoed similarly.

 

Supporters of Trinamul Mahila Congress led by its district unit president Ms Kalyani Poddar demonstrated in front of the offices of SDO and SDPO in Mathabhanga today. They demanded arrest and punishment of the miscreants involved in the incident. District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said a fact finding team will visit the village tomorrow to get a first hand information about the incident. []