India: Two Muslims arrested for raping minors; one victim is dead, the other is in critical condition

Earlier this week, we covered the massive attack on the Hindus in Murshidabad in West Bengal, India, where Muslim mobs went on a rampage, destroying Hindu businesses, homes, and vehicles, tearing down public offices, and even fatally injuring many, under the guise of protesting the Waqf Amendment Bill recently passed by the Indian parliament. However, the situation in India is not peaceful or safe even on a normal day when the country is not grappling with political turmoil. On an average day, India is fighting numerous fanatics who prey upon little girls who are vulnerable, defenseless, and easy to overpower, molest, and leave injured or dead.

The case of a brutal rape of a 11-year-old girl from the Kolaghat area in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, which emerged in news reports last week, is one of these.  The accused, identified as 25-year-old Mantaj Hossain, has been arrested by police from the New Town area of Kolkata, and is currently in custody.

According to police sources, the incident occurred when the minor was alone at home. The child was reportedly assaulted after the accused entered the residence and threatened her. An initial medical examination confirmed serious injuries, and the victim was first taken to a local healthcare center before being transferred to Tamluk District Hospital. Hospital authorities have confirmed that the girl is receiving treatment, and her condition is critical.

Police began an investigation immediately after receiving a complaint from the victim’s family. The accused was found to be absconding, and was later tracked down and arrested in the state capital. Law enforcement officials have stated that further inquiry is ongoing, and appropriate legal action is being taken under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Sources close to the investigation revealed that the accused was previously known to the victim’s family. He had been harassing the victim’s elder sister, a minor eighth grader, over the past few months. He used to stalk her regularly and expressed his interest in her multiple times, which the child refused to reciprocate. Having his advances declined, he threatened her with severe consequences, after which the family relocated the elder sister to a relative’s home for her safety.

The family struggled financially, and both parents worked in a garment factory. Earlier, the sisters stayed home together when their parents were at work; after the elder one was moved out of the house, the 11-year-old had to stay alone in the house.

Hossain, seeking a way to vent his anger and avenge the elder sister’s refusal, took advantage of the little girl being unattended. Upon returning home from work, the parents found their daughter injured and immediately sought medical and police assistance. The girl narrated that Hossain had broken into their house, threatened her with a knife, and raped her. Before leaving, Mantaj inserted a fork in her anus, which left the girl bleeding profusely. Police have assured that the investigation will be handled with urgency and sensitivity. Authorities have not released additional details, citing the ongoing nature of the inquiry and the need to protect the minor’s identity.

While this incident was reported from West Bengal on April 9, on the very day, another bone-chilling case of rape and murder of another little girl surfaced in Thane, Maharashtra. As per reports, Mumbra police had arrested an unemployed youth named Asif Mansoori for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old. Police had discovered the body of the child from the duct of a multi-story building on Monday night, and initially thought it to be an accidental fall. However, the autopsy report revealed that the child had been sexually brutalized. There were marks of struggle all over, and her neck had a sharp injury. It was evident that this was a case of rape and murder, and the officials initiated their investigations accordingly. It didn’t take them too long to apprehend the culprit, with the help of descriptions provided by children who had been playing with the victim on the fateful night right before the incident.

Sources reveal that Asif had lured the girl under the pretext of offering her toys, took her to his apartment, gagged her, and raped her. Though she had passed out during the tortuous ordeal, to make sure she was dead, Asif slit her throat with a kitchen knife and discarded her body from an open window on the sixth floor. When brought before the suspect, the child witnesses immediately confirmed him to be the one who had led the girl away on the night of the incident.

These are only two of the countless blood-curdling cases of abuse and crime on children and women by Muslim men reported in India regularly. Although both the culprits are arrested and will be tried under the POCSO, you can always trust a liberal, literature-enthusiast judge showing mercy on these heinous criminals, quoting Oscar Wilde’s famous quip that “every sinner has a future.”