‘Dragged from mosquito net, found bleeding in drain’: 4-year-old girl raped near Tarakeswar station

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A four-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted near Tarakeswar railway station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, officials said on Saturday.

According to police, the incident occurred on Friday near the Tarakeswar station premises, where the child’s family had been taking shelter. In their complaint, the family alleged that the girl was taken from under her mosquito net, reportedly slit open, while she was asleep, as reported by India Today.

Panic spread when the child was found missing at dawn. After hours of searching, relatives discovered her lying bloodied near a drain beside the station that afternoon.

“The child was asleep beside her maternal grandmother under a mosquito net when the accused allegedly cut through it and took her away. After hours of frantic searching, she was found near a drain, bleeding, unclothed, with bite marks on her cheek. Despite hours of treatment, she is still bleeding from her genitals,” said Parna Adak, Secretary of the BJP's Arambagh district.

The girl was rushed to Tarakeswar Rural Hospital, where doctors administered first aid before discharging her.

The family accused the hospital staff of mishandling the case, alleging that even as the girl bled from her private parts, the authorities failed to promptly inform the police. They further alleged that when they approached the police, officers at the Tarakeswar Police Station asked them to leave.

Police later brought the child back to the hospital for further medical tests, prompting BJP leaders and workers to storm the premises in protest. They accused both police and doctors of negligence.

Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari slammed the Mamata Banerjee government, calling her a “failed Chief Minister.”

“A 4-year-old girl child has been raped in Tarakeswar. Family rushes to Police Station, but FIR not registered! Taken to the Hospital - referred to Chandannagar. Tarakeswar Police busy burying the crime. This is the true face of Mamata Banerjee’s free-for-all regime. A child’s life is shattered, yet the Police are shielding the State’s fake law & order image by suppressing the truth. Are they Police Officers or Mamata Banerjee's sycophants? Seems like Tarakeswar Police have forgotten their oath to uphold the law. Mamata Banerjee, you are a Failed Chief Minister,” Adhikari said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Tarakeswar MLA Ramendu Singha Roy called the incident “extremely regrettable” and blamed a “security failure” on the part of the Railway Police, who oversee the area. “The family may have left the police station earlier in confusion over medical treatment, but the administration later ensured all necessary medical arrangements were made,” Roy said.

Police said an FIR has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and that investigations are underway.