Cop from Darjeeling arrested for raping disabled woman in Kolkata

Darjeeling, January 10 At a time sexual violence against women is being protested across the nation, an officer of the Kolkata Police was on Wednesday caught raping a mentally disabled woman at her home in Beniapukur.

 The incident led to further tension in the Beniapukur-Karaya area which has been on edge since the death of local youth Aminul Islam, who immolated in front Karaya police station in protest against a section of police officers shielding a rape accused. 

The officer was arrested in the evening. Assistant sub-inspector Prakash Thapa, 44, who is posted at Hare Street police station and lived alone at a rented house on Karaya Road, sneaked into his neighbour's house in the afternoon while the 45-year-old woman was alone and began sexually assaulting her. 

Passersby heard the woman's groans and peeped into the roadside room to find the cop raping her. They raised an alarm and within minutes a strong crowd gathered outside the house.

 Thapa tried to lock himself up in his own room, but was dragged out and beaten up till officers of the Beniapukur police station rescued him. A mob gathered outside the police station and demanded that the accused be handed over to them. Later, police got in touch with the victim's father and asked him to lodge a complaint as the woman was too traumatized to speak. She was sent for medical examination.

 The father, who does odd jobs, alleged Thapa had sexually abused his daughter on an earlier occasion, but he had not lodged any complaint. Thapa, whose wife and children live in Darjeeling, will be produced in Sealdah court on Thursday.