'Embarrassment' for Mamata as gang-raped nun leaves Bengal

Discharged from a hospital, the nun who was gang-raped inside a convent in West Bengal's Nadia district left West Bengal, prompting the opposition parties to call it an "embarrassment" for the Mamata Banerjee government.

The sister superior of the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ranaghat was admitted to Ranaghat sub-divisional hospital on March 14 with serious injuries after she was brutalised by the gang of bandits who also looted the convent.

"The convent authorities, along with the sub divisional officer and the sub divisional police officer, gave a written application that the survivor be discharged. After examining all the parameters, she was released in the early hours of the day," hospital superintendent A.N. Mondal said.

"She was taken to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata) and considering her condition, we had sent a doctor who accompanied her to the airport," said Mondal.

Archbishop of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza said the survivor was taken to an undisclosed location for the sake of her safety and security.

Already facing backlash over police's failure to affect a single arrest in the case so far, the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress came in for more attacks from the opposition as well as civil society members.

"This has become an international matter and I don't know if she has left the country. She has already left the state... I don't have words to express the embarrassment," leader of opposition in the assembly and CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said.

Echoing Mishra, BJP leader Tathagata Roy said: "People have realised that law and order doesn't exist here. With the rapists still at large, there may be another attack on her, they may even kill her this time."

Congress leader Abdul Mannan said: "What can be a bigger shame for the state that despite having a woman chief minister, a woman could not retain her faith on this government."

Similar views were also expressed by social activists like Miratun Nahar, Bolan Ganguly and actor Kaushik Sen.

Meanwhile, police have initiated a case against angry people who had blocked the chief minister's convoy during her visit to Ranaghat on March 16.

"A case of rioting, unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions among other offences has been registered against some people who had blocked the chief minister's convoy," said a police officer.

Enraged over police's failure to arrest any of the culprits, hundreds of people, including school children, had blocked Banerjee's convoy, demanding the arrest of the culprits and handing over the probe to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).

Stuck for over an hour, Banerjee had threatened to take action against the demonstrators and blamed the BJP and the CPI-M for trying to politicise the incident.

Banerjee on March 18 entrusted the probe to the CBI but the central agency is yet to formally take over.

The National Commission for Women during the day took cognisance of the incident that has continues to cause revulsion in the state and beyond.

Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam told IANS that the commission has taken cognisance of the incident and a team is expected to visit the convent on Saturday.

The Prime Minister's Office as well as the National Human Rights Commission have already taken cognisance of the matter and sought a detailed report from the Banerjee government.