Damayanti Sen may lead probe into Madhyamgram rape case

KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee’s government on Friday proposed to engage senior IPS officer Damayanti Sen to lead a special investigation team ( SIT) to probe the recent gangrape and alleged murder of a Madhyamgram teenager.

The state’s advocate general Bimal Chatterjee, who submitted a petition before Justice Dipankar Dutta of the Calcutta High Court on Friday, has informed the court about the government’s plan to appoint Sen as head of the SIT. Justice Dutta had asked the government last week to clarify why a CBI investigation into the death and rape would not be conducted.

He was hearing a petition filed by the victim’s father. Sen was unceremoniously transferred as DIG (training) at the Police Training College, Barrackpore , close on the heels of cracking the Pak Street gangrape case in early 2012. She later became the DIG Darjeeling Range and was transferred in August last year as DIG CID.

The advocate-general submitted that investigation into the October 26 Madhyamgram rape case has been completed and trial began on Friday before the appropriate court in the North 24 Parganas district.

The investigation may be handed over by the court to a special investigation team headed by Sen, he said. The court asked the state to take consent of the officer and fixed the matter for further direction on Monday. He also informed the high court that the government has assured of all sorts of protection to the victim’s family.

The family members last week shifted base to their native in Bihar , claiming that they were being harassed and threatened in Kolkata. The girl’s father had alleged that the police were lackadaisical in probing the case and sought a CBI investigation.