Kolkata, Sep 19: The body of a 16-year-old girl was recovered from an empty house in West Bengal Purulia district on Saturday morning, with her family alleging that she was murdered by a minor boy with whom she was reportedly in a relationship and his family members.

The police have launched an investigation following a complaint lodged by the girl’s family. The body was recovered from an empty house in the jurisdiction of Purulia Mufassil Police Station in Purulia town.

The girl’s brother-in-law told local media persons that she had gone missing on Friday night.

“The girl had been missing since last night. We searched throughout the night but could not find her. This morning, she was found dead,” he said.

“We came to know that the girl was in a relationship with a local teenager. She used to go to their house for tuition. But later, she refused to go there for tuition. We suspect that the girl was murdered. We have appealed to the government to ensure that she gets proper justice,” he alleged.

According to the family, the girl had been missing since around midnight. Her body was found on Saturday morning inside an empty house belonging to the family. Her headscarf was allegedly tied around her neck.

The incident triggered mourning in the area, with local residents gathering near the spot. Officers from Purulia Mufassil Police Station reached the location, recovered the body, and sent it to Purulia Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy.

The police said the exact cause of death would be established only after the autopsy report is received. A case of unnatural death has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

The police are also examining the allegations made by the girl’s family.

“The body has been recovered and has been sent for autopsy. A complaint has been lodged by the girl’s family. The allegations made by the family are being looked into. No one has been arrested as of yet. Investigation is on,” a senior officer of Purulia district police said.

The incident comes days after a young man was arrested in Purulia for allegedly killing his girlfriend and carrying her body in a bag on a motorcycle. According to police, the accused rode around with the woman’s body for nearly three to four hours before he was caught by personnel from Balarampur Police Station on September 12.

Mumbai, Sep 19: An Accident Death Report (ADR) has been filed in connection with the case linked to the death of a second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, officials said on Saturday.

The student was found dead in the IIT Powai campus on Friday evening. This reportedly happened after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination, by the authorities.

His death a few hours after that, triggered protests by students on the institute’s Powai campus. The incident marks the third reported suicide at the IIT Powai campus in the past six months.

The deceased student was identified as Sahil Wakode, a resident of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal who was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.

Officials said that his family was informed and has arrived in Mumbai. Their statements are being recorded.

Additionally, police are recording the statements of the students at the campus.

The body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem.

According to the institute, Wakode had uploaded an examination question paper to ChatGPT in an attempt to obtain answers while the test was underway.

IIT Bombay said no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him following the incident. The matter was discussed with the student by the examination instructor and the Head of the Department.

They counselled him and assured him that the incident would not have an adverse impact on his academic career, the institute said.

After the discussion, Wakode returned to his hostel room. He was subsequently found dead in the room later that evening.

In a statement, IIT Bombay expressed grief over the student’s death and said it was providing support to those affected by the incident.

“The Institute is extending support to the student’s friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident,” it said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.

Following the incident, a group of students gathered on the campus and launched a protest, alleging that the administration had not disclosed all details surrounding the circumstances of the student’s death.

Some protesters claimed that Wakode had been threatened with a one-year suspension over the examination incident. They alleged that such a suspension could have required him to leave the hostel and stay outside the campus.

Students further claimed that disciplinary action of this nature could potentially have delayed completion of his engineering course beyond the standard four-year duration.

Protesting students alleged that the fear and pressure associated with possible disciplinary consequences may have played a role in the student’s death. However, these allegations have not been independently verified.

Another student claimed that several such incidents had occurred on campus this year and questioned whether sufficient steps were being taken to understand their causes.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers on the campus following the protest.

An investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.

New Delhi, Sep 19: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday raised concerns over women’s safety in Delhi following the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl, questioning the lack of accountability over crimes against women.

Priyanka Gandhi took to social media ‘X’ and said, “In Delhi, all limits of cruelty were crossed against a 17-year-old girl, and after that, she was brutally murdered. Just a few days earlier, another minor girl was raped. No one in the country is willing to take responsibility for women’s safety, only empty talk about women’s development is offered. Hundreds of women face atrocities and violence, but they cannot hope for concrete action against the perpetrators, FIRs aren’t even filed.”

“Both society and the government have completely failed in granting women their rights to safety, freedom, and equality,” she said.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had also raised the issue on Friday night, describing the incident as unfortunate and questioning the responsibility of authorities for ensuring women’s safety in the national Capital.

LoP Rahul Gandhi took to social media ‘X’ and said, “In Delhi, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped, murdered, and her body was dumped in an open field. Such a horrific act of brutality in the capital, and the police had no clue for days. It’s unfortunate that Delhi is no longer the capital today; it has become a terrifying daily story for women.”

“Amit Shah ji, Delhi Police is under your control. Ultimately, whose responsibility is women’s safety? Or has the job of Delhi Police been reduced to just intimidating and threatening ordinary citizens? Because the criminals are roaming around fearlessly,” LoP Gandhi said.

Rahul Gandhi also called for strict action, and punishment against the rapists and murderers of the minor girl.

“The beasts must be arrested immediately, strict action and punishment must be taken, and accountability for this criminal negligence must be fixed. India cannot move forward without women’s safety,” LoP Gandhi said.

The minor girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by four persons, including three juveniles, in Delhi, with police saying the accused subsequently abandoned her body in an open area.

Parts of the victim’s decomposed body were later found to have been eaten by stray dogs.

According to police, the incident came to light on September 13 when the girl’s severely decomposed body was discovered near Jaipal Rana’s field along Kushak Road in the Swaroop Nagar area of North Delhi. The condition of the body was such that police could not initially determine the victim’s gender.

Police said the victim was acquainted with the accused and had been travelling with them in a tempo. During the journey, the group allegedly consumed alcohol before the girl was sexually assaulted. She was subsequently stabbed to death, after which her body was allegedly dumped in the open field.

Investigators said stray dogs had eaten parts of the body, while one of the victim’s hands was found detached from the rest of the body.

Police said the girl’s family had not lodged a missing person complaint. During questioning, her relatives reportedly told investigators that she would sometimes leave home and return after staying away for several days.

A case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Since there were no apparent eyewitnesses and the identities of the suspects were initially unknown, police began examining CCTV footage from the area.

Investigators analysed footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras installed along the suspected crime scene and adjoining routes. During the exercise, police noticed a tempo moving in the vicinity around the relevant period. However, its registration number could not be identified clearly because of poor visibility and darkness.

The investigators subsequently tracked the vehicle’s movements through footage from several locations. A night-long operation was conducted during the intervening night of September 15 and 16, following which the tempo was traced.

Police then identified and questioned its driver. The investigation eventually led to the apprehension of four persons allegedly connected with the incident, including three juveniles.

The adult accused has been identified as Shivam, alias Sudama, alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony, police said. The three juveniles apprehended in connection with the case are aged 16 and 17.

According to police, two knives allegedly used during the crime, clothes purportedly worn by the accused and the tempo have been recovered.