State won't oppose Kamduni rape-murder victim's kin in SC, will give them legal aid: Bengal CM

Kolkata, Jul 11 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged the TMC dispensation had been "opposing" the Kamduni rape-and-murder victim's family in their pursuit for justice in the Supreme Court, and said his administration would extend a helping hand by providing them with legal assistance. "The state will not oppose them in the Supreme Court. We will support the victim's family by providing them with government lawyers. I will convey my message to our standing counsel," he told reporters about the 2013 case after meeting the families of the Baruipur rape-murder victim and that the man lynched in its aftermath. In 2013, a college student returning home in North 24 Parganas' Kamduni was dragged into a farm, gang-raped and murdered. Her mutilated body was found the next morning. The incident had triggered a major outcry in the state amid concerns over women's safety. Three years later, a sessions court sentenced three accused to death and three others to life imprisonment in the case. The Calcutta High Court later commuted the death sentences of two to life term and acquitted a third death-row convict. It had reduced the life sentences of three other convicts. "Sixteen public prosecutors were changed in the Calcutta High Court. The victim's family then moved to the Supreme Court. We will support them in the top court by providing them with government lawyers. "The Barasat court's verdict was set aside by the Calcutta High Court, following which the matter reached the Supreme Court. Till now, the state government had been opposing the victim's family. But the state will not oppose them in the Supreme Court. I will convey my message to our standing counsel," Adhikari said. The Kamduni victim's family had approached the Supreme Court, alleging that justice had not been served. It was also alleged that the state had failed to place crucial facts before the courts and the police did not investigate the crime properly. Reiterating the BJP government's zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women, Adhikari took a swipe apparently at his predecessor Mamata Banerjee over her remarks following alleged rape and murder of women in the state during her rule. "Rest assured, the West Bengal government will leave no loopholes. It will not describe such things as stray incidents or love affairs, nor will it say that the victim was pregnant or offer compensation of Rs 10 lakh as a substitute for justice," he said. In the aftermath of the Kamduni incident, the chief minister Mamata Banerjee had visited the place and faced protests from locals. She had alleged that Maoists were among the protesters, a remark that drew sharp criticism. PTI SCH NSD