Minor's gang rape in Howrah train: Soldier sent to custody, army assures cooperation

A West Bengal court yesterday sent a soldier, arrested for the gang rape of a teenaged girl inside a train to seven days police custody, while the army assured assistance to police in nabbing two of its personnel alleged to have committed the crime

Kolkata: A West Bengal court yesterday sent a soldier, arrested for the gang rape of a teenaged girl inside a train to seven days police custody, while the army assured assistance to police in nabbing two of its personnel alleged to have committed the crime.

Police detained members of All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) protesting against the gangrape in front of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata yesterday. Pic/PTI

"We have assured full cooperation to the Howrah GRP which is now investigating the case. We have also initiated a probe into the matter. We are assisting the investigators in identifying and tracking the two accused," said an army source.

The 14-year-old girl, hailing from Dum Dum in Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, was allegedly raped by two army men after forcing her to drink alcohol inside a reserved military compartment of the Howrah-Amritsar Express.

The girl, who boarded the train from Howrah on her way to Ludhiana, was rescued in a joint effort by RPF and GRP personnel at Madhupur station in Jharkhand on Monday.

Charged with several offences including under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the arrested accused — identified as Manjrish Tripathi — was presented before a court in Howrah which sent him to police custody for seven days.

The girl, who identified the accused in a video footage, also deposed before the magistrate.

"We had sought seven days custody of the accused which the court granted us. We are studying the video footage of the train to ascertain the identity and locate the two absconding accused," said a GRP officer, adding, "The victim also recorded her statement before the magistrate."

A medical examination conducted on the girl confirmed rape.

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