4-year-old girl abducted from railway shed, raped in Bengal's Tarakeshwar

A four-year-old girl was allegedly abducted from a railway shed and “sexually assaulted” at Tarakeshwar in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, officials said on Sunday.

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The incident occurred early on Friday night when the child, reportedly belonging to the Banjara community, was asleep beside her grandmother at the railway shed. According to police, the attacker allegedly cut through the mosquito net under which the two were sleeping and took the girl away.

Child found critically injured

“She was sleeping with me. Around 4 am, someone took her away. I didn’t even realise when it happened. They cut the mosquito net and took her. She was later found naked,” the girl’s grandmother said, showing the torn net. Fighting back tears, she added, “We live on the streets because our homes were demolished. We have nowhere else to go.”

The child was discovered the following afternoon lying unconscious and bleeding near a high drain close to the Tarakeshwar railway station. Police said she had visible injury marks and was rushed to Tarakeshwar Gramin Hospital. She was later shifted to the Chandannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital, where she remains in a critical condition.

The family alleged that hospital staff mishandled the case and failed to inform the police immediately, despite the child bleeding from her private parts. They also claimed that when they approached the local police station, officers initially asked them to leave instead of registering a complaint.

Following public outrage, the police brought the girl back to the hospital for further medical examination. The development triggered protests, with BJP leaders and workers gathering outside the hospital, accusing the police and doctors of negligence.

Political outrage over incident

A senior police officer said an investigation has been initiated into the incident.

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

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Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the Tarakeshwar Police were initially reluctant to file an FIR. In a post on X, he accused the authorities of attempting to “bury the crime” to protect the state government’s image.

“Mamata Banerjee, you are a failed Chief Minister. Under your rule, West Bengal’s law and order has hit rock bottom,” Adhikari wrote.