Deaf-mute athlete raped in Bengal, attacker arrested

Kolkata - An auto-rickshaw driver was arrested for raping a deaf and mute national level athlete in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, police said Tuesday.

“Ranjit Das, 28, was arrested Monday night for raping a deaf and dumb girl who has won several medals at national level athletics. Medical tests on the victim show the offence was committed. The accused was remanded in police custody Tuesday,” investigating officer Abhijit Dutta told IANS.

The 25-year-old victim was returning from Raiganj to her house in Hemtabad in the district, some 450 km from Kolkata, Sunday night in Das’ auto. After realising that the girl was deaf and mute, the driver, after dropping other passengers, took the athlete to his house and raped her.

The next day, the victim reached the Hemtabad police station where she wrote down her plight before Dutta. Das was arrested later in the day.

The attacker was brought before a court in the district which remanded him in police custody.

Former state minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Kanti Ganguly, who heads the Paschim Banga Pratibandhi Sammilani (West Bengal Disabled Forum) demanded exemplary punishment to the attacker.

“The victim is a national level medal winner. I have met the police officers who said the medical test confirms she was raped. The administration must ensure that the offender is given exemplary punishment so that such a heinous crime is not repeated,” he said.

Ganguly also accused the police of initially trying to hush up the incident.

The athlete won a gold medal at the Para Athletics National Championship in 2006. She was also felicitated by Governor M.K. Narayanan as a “role model” on International Day of Disabled (Dec 3) last year.