Kolkata, Nov 9 (IANS) The mother of Dilip Roy, the prime accused in the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, who was shot dead in a police encounter in Raiganj, on Monday stated that she would not attend her son’s final rites.
Speaking to media persons, Chania Roy expressed deep shame over her son’s actions, stating, “It is better not to have such a sinful son; I will not even go to the crematorium.”
She added, “He has done such a thing; he is no longer in a position to show his face in the village. He is gone. It is good. That’s what I want.”
Describing him as her only son, Chania Roy said he had left home at a very young age and maintained little contact with his family, offering no support to his ageing father. She noted that the grief of losing a child was completely overshadowed by the heinous nature of the crime.
Residents revealed that allegations against Dilip were not unprecedented. Sixteen years ago, he was accused of physically abusing the six-year-old daughter of a relative, which caused widespread outrage in the village.
At that time, neighbours attacked his home and assaulted him, following which Dilip sold one katha of his mother’s land to pay compensation to the victim’s family. A resident remarked that such severe crimes cannot be forgiven and that justice had been served.
Dilip Roy was killed during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday after police launched a raid near Gauri Gram Panchayat around 3 a.m., following a tip-off that he was attempting to flee across the nearby Bihar border.
According to law enforcement officials, officers moved to arrest Roy after tracking his whereabouts, but the accused opened fire on the raiding team. Police retaliated in self-defence, inflicting fatal injuries.
Roy was transported to Raiganj Medical College & Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, with an autopsy scheduled for later in the day.
The encounter follows the recovery of the victim’s semi-decomposed body on November 6 from the nearby Kulik forest, two days after the 12-year-old went missing on November 3 after leaving her home on a bicycle.
This incident marks the fourth fatal police encounter in West Bengal since July this year, three of which involve cases related to the rape and murder of minors.
–IANS
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