Why no arrest over nun's gang rape, NCW asks Bengal

Kolkata, March 21 (IANS) The National Commission for Women (NCW) slammed the West Bengal administration on Saturday over its failure to arrest any of the culprits involved in the gang rape of a septuagenarian nun in Nadia district.

The sister superior of the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ranaghat -- some 80 km from Kolkata -- was gang-raped on March 14.

While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had immediately ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to investigate, police were yet to arrest anybody.

A four member NCW team led by Shamina Shafiq met convent officials on Saturday and also held talks with police and district officials.

"The pictures of the people (perpetrators) are there in the camera, the faces are seen but still no arrests have been made, why? This is one question that needs to be answered," Shafiq said after meeting the convent authorities.

"We cannot expect such an incident happening to anyone, let alone to a nun who is there to serve humanity. It is shocking and heart-wrenching. We absolutely condemn it," she said.

Facing backlash over police's inability to make much headway in case, Banerjee had on March 18 announced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was being entrusted to take over the probe. However, the central agency is yet to formally take over.

Discharged from the Ranaghat sub-divisional hospital Friday, the rape survivor subsequently left the state for an undisclosed location, which prompted the opposition parties to call it an "embarrassment" for Banerjee and her ruling Trinamool Congress.

Besides the NCW, the Prime Minister's Office as well as the National Human Rights Commission have also taken cognizance of the matter and sought detailed reports from the Banerjee government.