In June 1982, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, became the backdrop for a tragic incident that still haunts the town four decades later. At the time, the Jyoti Basu government had recently taken office, and the CPI(M) was at the height of its influence in the state. Amidst this political climate, a horrific crime unfolded that would leave a permanent mark on the region.
A young nurse, who had relocated from Balurghat to Cooch Behar for a government job at Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Hospital, lived with her sister and brother-in-law in a rented house. That June, characterized by relentless rainfall, would become a night of unspeakable horror. The nurse returned home after a day’s work, but the torrential rain and swelling of the town’s roads offered no solace.
By morning, neighbors discovered the nurse in a dire state: naked, half-dead, and allegedly gang-raped. Her throat had been scalded, her private parts burned, and a bottle of acid had been forced into her mouth through a Ryle’s tube to prevent her from identifying her attackers. The acid was also used to erase physical traces of the assault. Her cries for help were drowned out by the relentless rain that beat against her tin-roofed home.
A group of concerned individuals carried her, still alive, on a cycle-rickshaw through the floodwaters to the hospital where she worked. Despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after admission.
The investigation led to the arrest of ten suspects, but justice remained elusive. Three men served ten years in prison before securing bail, while the remaining seven were released. Allegations suggested that the main perpetrators were influential figures with close ties to the ruling party, shielding them from accountability. Police officers involved in the case were tight-lipped, and no officer was willing to comment on the record.
The story, reported by the then-nascent daily Uttar Banga Sambad, ignited public outrage, but justice remained out of reach. The town of Cooch Behar, which had witnessed numerous political changes, has not seen the restoration of justice for the young nurse. Despite the passage of time, with forty-two Junes and various changes in government, the memory of that rainy night endures. The old post office, once a marker of the town’s identity, is gone, as are the hopes of delivering justice for the victim. Her family continues to mourn and seek reparation, still waiting for closure more than four decades later.
