Dhantala PS c/no 32 dt 6/2/03 u/s
396/376/354/412/120B IPC & 25/27 Arms Act.

The fact of the case is in brief that in the intervening night on 5/6-02-03 a group of miscreants committed dacoity in respect of cash, gold and silver ornaments, wrist watches, VCP and other personal belongings against the passengers of two marriage/party buses, WB-51/2658 and WB-51/2733, a Tata Sumo and one 3 wheelers WB-51/3287 and 4 cyclists at Aishmali on Ranaghat – Aishmali Road, PS Dhantala, Nadia. In course of dacoity, they shot the diver of the first bus Samir Ghosh @ Banka to death. They also forced all the male passengers of the first bus to settle on the roof-top of the first bus and outraged the modesty of a number of females and even raped some of them which included young unmarried girls.

The case was initially investigated by SI S Roy, O/C Dhantala PS and later on was investigated by the then DDI Ranaghat Amar Biswas (now DSP CID). The case was ended in CS ref No 87 dated 3/5/03 against 19 persons under the above noted section of law and subsequently with the arrest of Chimu Sardar supplementary CS ref No 137 dated 14/8/03 was also submitted.

The trial of the case started in December 2003 and the 1st PW was examined on 15/12/03 in the court of Addl. Sessions Judge, FST court, Ranaghat and sofar more than sixty PWs have been examined. Many of them have turned hostile and many have deposed in favour of the prosecution. Meanwhile with the arrest of Kurban Ali Mondal in c/w Jagatballavpur (Howrah) PS c/no 21 dated 26/2/04 and his subsequent confession on 13/3/04 before Ld. SDJM Ranaghat has added the following names of accused other than Chimu and Punte Sardar, namely, Yasin Biswas, Tikka Khan, Dilip Joysoara. Present IO Inspr T K Das, DDI Ranaghat submitted supplementary CS ref No 44 dated 28/5/04 against all of them.

It was found during investigation that victim Polly Ghosh and Tumpa @ Jhuma Ghosh had admitted before the Lady Member of the WB State Women’s Commission they were raped. Modesty of other victims like Chandana, Chaina, Pinki and Smt Milan Ghosh were outraged. There is no medical/clinical evidence in favour of the prosecution to prove the allegation of rape. However, there are seizures in respect of recovery of stolen articles and identification of six accused persons by the victims during TI parade held in presence of Judicial Magistrate. It may be mentioned that DM Nadia sanctioned Rs 5000/- each to be given to each of the victims, namely Polly, Chaina, Tumpa, Tutun, Rishika, Chandana, Pinki, Mamoni, Dipika on 4/7/03.

Trial of the case is in progress and being held in camera but none of the female victims who were either raped or outraged has yet been examined as Polly Ghosh and others moved in writing on 16/4/04 the trial judge through conducting PP Nadia that they would only depose if any lady member of WB State Commission for women remained present during their depositions which is now in room No 5 of the Hon’ble Justice S.P. Talukdar, in the High Court at Calcutta, vide CRR No 2004.