Daijiworld Media Network - Hooghly

Hooghly, Nov 9: A four-year-old girl was kidnapped while sleeping beside her grandmother and later sexually assaulted in Tarakeshwar, Hooghly district, late Friday night, police said.

The child, belonging to the Banjara community, was sleeping on a cot under a mosquito net near the railway shed when the attacker allegedly cut through the net and took her away. The next afternoon, she was found lying in a pool of blood near the Tarakeshwar railway high drain.

“She was sleeping with me. Around 4 am, someone took her away. I didn’t even realise when she was taken. They cut the mosquito net and took her away. She was found naked,” the girl’s grandmother said, showing the torn mosquito net.

The family, who lost their homes in a recent demolition drive, has been living on the streets. “We live on the streets because they have demolished our houses. Where do we go? We don’t have a home,” the grandmother said tearfully.

Police said the victim, who remains in critical condition, is being treated at Tarakeshwar Gramin Hospital. An FIR has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and a detailed investigation is underway.

The incident triggered a political row, with BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleging that police initially refused to register an FIR. “A 4-year-old girl child has been raped in Tarkeshwar. Family rushes to police station, but FIR not registered! This is the true face of Mamata Banerjee’s regime,” he posted on X.

Police said efforts are on to identify.